KOLKATA BURNING - ANOTHER BATTLE FOR POLITICAL ONEUPMANSHIP

Pollution has always remained a non-issue for politicians and the commoners alike. A typical malaise of the denizens of a third world country. Scientific thinking and thinking of making our surrounding better for us and also for posterity has not been an issue of paramount importance of the powers that be. Politicians of today truly lack basic awareness about such issues as environmental pollution and the potential health hazards. What they forget in their quest for gaining political out of every trivial issue is that their own families too stand to gain from such endeavour of the Government. Actually, the political culture is to blame for this. Politicians do not even come together for the sake of State's development. Western States of India such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka are examples of how politicians close ranks when issues concerning betterment of their States are concerned. All speak in unision and lobby collectively to extract the best bargain for their States. However, such awareness and culture is lacking in a State like West Bengal, where the average intellectual quotient is really high as compared with other States.

      The swith-over to LPG or CNG has happened in other States too and that too without any major incident. Delhi was the harbinger of change, and after a year of such switchover from diesel to CNG, it has been seen that pollution level has substantially come down in Delhi. Various other States have followed suit and in no such States violence and arson has been unleashed by the Oppositon parties at such a scale. In fact, the swichover has been so peaceful, that the political powers that be can take a lesson or two from these. It has been constantly seen that political leaders, for their vested interests, overlook the common good and push their selfish personal agenda for a parocheal gain. These efforts and the substantial destabililisation may earn them political brownie points, but such euphoria may not last long, and once disillusionment set in, these political leaders may find no place to escape. While political compulsions are understandable, but for a cause like pollution, all political parties should come together and make these drivers see reason. In fact switchover to LPG would actually result in lower operational cost, pollution or no pollution. For this reason alone, auto-rickshaws, should swithover to LPG or other form of fuel, as this will result in subtantial for the drivers. The Government can do its bit by giving subsidy or softer loan for these vehicles. The road quality must also improve to make way for these fuel efficient vehicles. Since these vehicles will run on LPG, too much vibration or jerking may result in inadvertent release of such fuels in the air, resulting in explosion. So movements can be initiated for such basic needs for a swithcover, but to oppose such switchover en masse smacks of narrow political gain, which is highly deplorable. The politicians should come together and fight for a better environment and in order to do that they must join hands to make this switchover a success. There are ample scope of initiating a movement - on issues such as a demand for Government subsidy in the form of tax holiday for five years, partial subsidy in supply of such swithover LPG kit, improvement of road infrastructure and the like. But instead, the political class has emerged to extract maximum political mileage by subjecting the commoners to untold ordeal. One wonders with great horror as regards the destiny of Bengal?