Kolkata tram, suspended during Durga Puja, but yet to resume; tram lovers feel it may never come back

The tram helped people to pandal-hop and the tram ran special services during Durga Puja. This year, for the first time, the tram was completely kept off the streets during the festival because it is seen as a hindrance to traffic. | Photo Credit: PTI

In no uncertain terms, it also blocked Kolkata’s tram route – already facing closure unless the court decides otherwise – with orders yet to be issued to resume suspended services during Durga Puja due to fears of traffic jams.

Both tram operators and activists fear that such orders will never come and even the three surviving routes, only two of which are currently operational, may die like other once popular routes and that the 152-year-old mode of transport may die. actually met its end this Durga Puja.

Talking to A HinduThe Minister of Transport in West Bengal, Snehasis Chakraborty, while he did not specify when the order to stop the train during Durga Puja will be withdrawn and at the same time said that no official action will be taken until the court takes a decision, he took it. it is very clear that the State Government was no longer interested in keeping the tram alive because it was only adding to Kolkata’s traffic woes.

“Even I have feelings about the tram, even if I feel silly about it, but it is no longer useful in a big city like Kolkata, where the road area has never increased – just 6% – compared to other cities. Even in other cities where trams still work, like Lisbon, the population density is a few hundred, or at least a few thousand, people per sq km, whereas Kolkata has 24,000 people per sq km,” said Mr Chakraborty.

Ironically, while once upon a time, the tram helped people pandal-hop and the tram conducted special services during Durga Puja, this year, for the first time, the tram was completely kept off the roads during the festival because it was seen. as a hindrance to the flow of traffic.

Officially, tram movement was supposed to be suspended from 3 pm on October 7 until October 15, 2024. But until the evening of October 17, tram depots were waiting for an order to resume services. At the Gariahat depot, the conductors’ ticket bags were removed, the tram cars were cleaned, but no order came to start operations.

“The suspension order, issued by the traffic police, was clearly aimed against the tram; it was an act against people. Whether the West Bengal Transport Corporation objected to this act of immorality needs to be investigated. All in all, this appears to be an organized policy to withhold the most popular form of public transportation used by residents. The unusual hike in autorickshaw fares on puja days shows how the citizens were being exploited,” said Debasish Bhattacharyya, president of the Calcutta Tram Users’ Association (CTUA).

CTUA member and urban transport activist Arghyadip Hatua said: “It is disappointing to see the iconic tram sidelined during Durga Puja, a time when the city celebrates the tradition. This represents a missed opportunity to preserve an important part of our heritage during the celebrations.”