Communism through the backdoor. Praful Bidwai style.
Cars are an extremely inefficient form of transportation. According to a US researcher, the average American spends so much time looking after, parking or repairing his car and stopping at signals, etc, that its average speed is roughly 10-12 kmph. [...] Runaway automobilisation must be curbed through higher taxation (Indian buses are taxed 2.6 times higher per passenger-kilometre than cars), stiff parking fees, Singapore-style bans on use of odd- and even-numbered cars on alternate days, encouragement of carpools, and extensive creation of pedestrian-only zones.
Anybody wants to fisk?
Tags: Commentary, Discussions, Society & Culture
On 07.26.07 shadows says:
Maybe he should give that advice to Jyoti Basu and the comrades .. (I suppose he owns 34 cars or something)
Also he should advice them to give up scotch and marlboro and switch over to desi tharra and beedis, it will help the poor who sell them !!
On 07.26.07 Shailendra Mathur says:
Ah, but the commies are famous for not practicing what they preach! This is what Tavleen Singh had to say on the issue
” This is why what Rahul Gandhi reportedly said at a recent parliamentary committee meeting is most interesting and very important. This newspaper reported that he said he was in favour of private investment in education and was shouted down by Brinda Karat who went to the same school as I did.
This was not just a private school but in its time, and probably still, one of the most elitist girls schools in India. Ah, but that is what is so endearing about the Left, if you can see their funny side, they make an honest distinction between the party and the proletariat. For Stalin, Mao and their favourites — residential accommodation in the Kremlin and the Forbidden City. For the masses — hovels on the bad side of town. ”
The full article may be found here http://www.indianexpress.com/story/206143.html
On 07.26.07 Karthik says:
As much I hate to agree with Bidwai dude. He does have 2 valid points though. Ironically a commie guy talking about Market price for parking space. But it is valid point any parking spot should be set at the Maximum rate the Market can bear. It may be Rs 1000 or Rs 500 per day but not Rs 10 or Rs 25. Govt has no business of subsidising this. The other thing about Diesel cars the Govt can’t subsidise the diesel fuel. It is the most ridiculous form of subsidy we have. Govt wasting poor mans money on rich mans transportation. Ironically our commies would balk at the idea of Market priced fuel. (You gotta loveem.) If they really worry about the inflation and transportation costs then they can subsidise only the commerical operators. That would remove the incentive for Diesel cars. In the long run govt should have no business of running fuel distribution at all. It should be left to the market forces. But other than that Kidwai dude just want to tax us more.That is plain stupid
On 07.27.07 Mayuresh Gaikwad says:
Actually, I too would agree with Mr. Bidwai on this. That atleast places with most congestion -Mumbai for example, should have Singapore-style bans on private cars in the area. That would make the air healthier and life would be better for al Mumbaikars.
Ofcourse, Mumbai does not have the requisite public transport for this kind of a ban, the entire city is already crumbling and bursting at the seams
We need to fix the public transport systems and increase their capacity manyfold, in order to achieve a Singapore style city. Else, the other option is to let market-forces operate and one day, the city will become so unbearable and unlivable, that businesses and people will start shifting away.
On 07.27.07 Ot says:
I’m more interested in knowing Comrade Bidwai’s reaction to the death sentences in Bombay blasts case. Is he frothing venom at the mouth yet? Perhaps Comrade Halli and his “father” might know.
On 07.27.07 sanajy choudhry says:
Bidwai is just recommending “collective transport” like collective farms.
On 07.28.07 raghu says:
Is it not dumb to take Pa’fool’ Bidwai seriously?
On 07.29.07 kaangeya says:
Prafool Bidwai is so addlepated that he can’t distinguish between cause and effect. The present mania for personal transportation is caused partly by an inefficient public transport system; but even more by a stagnant infrstructure. New York city is interconnected by >15 bridges and tunnels. In Bombay Prafool and his crackpot comrades won’t let even one new bridge to be built up. How stupid can that be? Prafool too must have been on his second half of Old Monk absentmindedly commending the Singapore congestion pricing model. Singapore? Comrade Biddy thinks Singapore has nothing worth emulating. Looks like Prafool is a few steps closer to reality.
But friends if you want to have fun at the commies’ expense take on Sukumar Muralidharan. Sukumar is a real Leninist/Stalinist/Maoist/Kim’ist commie. Rpafool is a Trotskyite. Suku is living evidence of the fact that IITs and IIMs don’t necessarily produce sensible students. Suku is one of the most constipated correspondents around, he writes some of the most turgid and tortured prose you can come across, thru clenched teeth. Sukumar thinks that you could shut down all consumer product factories and simply cut costs by producing one variety of soap/shirt for all. Sukumar makes Prafool look intelligent.
On 08.09.07 Gurmeet says:
Sandeep, you are right.This article deserved a thorough fisking and I think I have done it.
Here-
http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/2007/08/your-car-is-anti-social-element-part-1.html
http://libertynewscentral.blogspot.com/
On 11.21.07 Sukumar Muralidharan says:
Deeply flattered by the comments from Raghu. It really seems like he’s not going by any written record, but by (perhaps) something he’s heard. I think, maybe, I know this guy…
On 11.21.07 Palahalli says:
“Sukumar thinks that you could shut down all consumer product factories and simply cut costs by producing one variety of soap/shirt for all.”
- Is this true? I think since your here, you might as well set records straight. It’s worth the effort it seems.