People's car-- boon or bane?

Kolkata, Jan 12: Even as the Tata's 'People's Car' has placed West Bengal in the top most position of automobile industry, it has raised a fear at the same time among the people on the severe traffic congestion.

Kolkata, the state's capital, is having only seven per cent motorable road space as against the prescribed standard of 30 per cent against geographical area for mega cities and 21 per cent for metropolitans.

Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, that was unvieled the day before yesterday in Delhi, will hit the markets by November just to add to the already existing chaotic traffic situation and pollution.

Taking a dig at the one lakh car, Auto Emission Expert Soumendra Mohan Ghosh said at present 400 vehicles were registered everday.

Statistics reveal that in last one decade the vehicular growth was 85 per cent, whereas the growth in road space was not even one per cent.

'' The state government should seriously think on improving road conditions as well as car parking spaces before allowing the Tata's to start their small-car manufacturing unit at Singur,'' he added.

By 2010, over five lakh vehicles would be plying on only 1500 km road length, he said adding that the present level of respirable particulate matter is three times higher than the permissible limit which is mainly due to slow moving traffic and large number of diesel vehicles.

UNI