Morung Express News Dimapur | September 10 As the strike called by the Dimapur District Autorickshaw Drivers Union (DDADU) to go off the roads sets to begin Monday, the lack of an organised public transport system or city buses has come to the fore yet again. While the district administration may have come up with a temporary arrangement to ferry commuters, the bigger question though is how long would such stop-gap measures sustain? Since the news of the strike spread, the pulse in the social media circuit has been one of suggestions worth a try and grievances in equal measure against the authorities concerned, which according to the people, has failed the people. The need for a trusted city bus service like the ones found in urban settings around the globe and in Kohima often came up in posts shared in several social media groups. “Dimapur people... right time to fight for bus service...” went one of the comments. Introducing mobile phone app based taxi service like Ola and Uber and even two-wheeler taxis were the other suggestions. A few recalled a time a little over ten years ago, when Nagaland State Transport buses were introduced to ply certain routes in Dimapur. Welcomed as a breather by the public, the service however was abruptly halted after a few months. One of the comments further recalled the government shelving the city bus service over low revenue generation or loss to the entity providing the service. Striking a balance or organising public transport in such a way as to allow room for both city passenger buses and autorickshaws on the roads was a suggestion worth a try that popped up among the hundreds of comments. This idea was based on restricting buses to the arterial/trunk roads (line-haul system) while leaving the routes not covered by buses to autorickshaws and taxis. This system, as per the comments, would not only strike a balance but also substantially reduce traffic snarls. This particular suggestion bears similarity to a study conducted by a Naga Architect/Planner under the aegis of a World Bank sponsored programme on ‘Leadership in Urban Transport Planning during 2014-15. The study titled ‘Mobility and Safe Accessibility Along Dimapur-Chumukedima Corridor’ studied the prospect of easing transport along the Purana Bazaar to 7th Mile stretch of NH29. A report based on the study was also published in The Morung Express in May 2015. While the gamut of the study was on developing and utilising to the optimum the available road space, it also suggested the viability of a line-haul public transport system (buses) in Dimapur with intermediate stops at demarcated points and intersections. Introducing buses to the main thoroughfares and limiting autorickshaws to ‘feeder roads’ and by-passes linked to the highways was its basic idea. This, the study averred would provide an unbroken chain of connectivity to commuters. A good number of comments went as far as vouching for doing away with autorickshaws to ease traffic congestion. One though was more considerate commenting, “Yes, we should demand bus service in Dimapur but it shouldn’t be at the cost of “Completely” restricting the service of autos. Let’s be considerate enough to think about the impact it will have on the families of these auto drivers if it is done so.” A common complaint was “exorbitant” charges demanded by the three-wheeler drivers, often beyond the prescribed rate. The tried and tested practice of hiking fares with the dips and falls of petroleum pricing was another. According to one of the comments, which while justifying hiking of fares with increase in fuel price, correspondingly held that fares be reduced whenever there is a fall in price. While the idea of introducing line-haul buses sounded fulfilling, one commentator however opined that public buses will not drop off passengers at the doorstep. That comment went, “City Bus will not drop you till your door step, so we better pray for amicable solution in between RTA and DDADU...”
