As Imphal grows and its traffic volume increases, one would have expected, among other things, parking space growing reciprocally. Quite to the contrary, the reverse is happening. Even more surprising (or not surprising) is the fact that there are absolutely no visible attempts by the government to address and tackle the issue. If and when the government salaries are hiked as per a new Pay Commission’s recommendation, together with the ever-aggressive sale of car loans by the banks and not the least the ever competitive pricing of lower end automobiles, Imphal can expect more traffic nightmares.
Already traffic jams are a daily affair and getting worse by the day. Even if it was to be conceded that the congestion is made worse by ongoing road repair works, it is difficult to imagine how things would improve even after these projects are over. The basic and crude philosophy behind city land management which has guided governments after governments in the state has been to convert every bit of available space in the city into real estate, either for those in positions of power to grab or else to auction off on the quiet. Few or none amongst them, it seems, believe in the value of open public spaces in a city, or proper parks or parking areas.
It will be recalled, even the Kangla was almost partitioned off and sold off as shop plots but was prevented by interventions from a section of the ever thinning down conscientious public. It may also be recalled that the authorities some decade ago also constructed a line of shops along the Kangla’s northern boundary, but thankfully again, these shops were demolished on the intervention again of several conscientious civil society bodies and media.
A similar fate had seemed almost certain for the historic Mapal Kangjeibung, and a line of shops had been constructed on its edge along the BT Road, and the then government was determined to keep this even in the face of public protests, but other plans overtook it finally and the shops had to come down to give way to the BT Flyover. Are all these a case of acute and incorrigible political myopia, or else of greed having no limit? Most likely, it is a combination of both. Whatever they are, here we are faced with their consequences, the almost absolute lack of parking space and crawling traffic being the most visible.
It is however no point endlessly cribbing over split milk, although the manner in which this milk was spilt would make any outrage justifiable. Instead, it would be far more constructive to think of ways to salvage the situation to the best possible extent. Even if the government has no intent of listening to the strategies people may suggest, at least we hope it would agree to exercise its mind to engage the problem.
First and foremost, prohibit heavy vehicles from entering the Imphal municipal area during busy daylight hours. If they have to enter, let it be after 7pm or 8pm or before 5am. This means bus and freight vehicles depots will have to be built in the outskirts. There is one at Khuman Lampak already, this can take care of the northern end, but there will have to be others for the Moirang-Churachandpur line, Kakching-Moreh line and Jiri-Kangchup lines too.
To minimise the need for private automobiles coming out on the streets, introduce an efficient and clean city transport service. This could be outsourced if the government is not up to it. The shared auto-rickshaws are doing this to a great extent, but they will have to be disciplined to follow traffic norms and etiquettes.
The Manipur State Road Transport Corporation, which like all public undertakings have been a den of corruption and inefficiency, therefore difficult to be optimistic about its success, must be revived augment public city transport. At the moment, any and everybody who owns a vehicle, and do not wish to travel in packed shared autorickshaws, bring out their vehicles even for short and routine travels, heightening the congestion on Imphal roads.
The government must also shift out existing bus depots from the heart of Imphal and relocate them in less congested outskirts. Lastly, it must push for the construction of one or two layers of ring roads around Imphal so as to prevent the city becoming a thoroughfare for vehicles whose destination is not the city. This should not be too difficult for it would be just a matter of upgrading and liking up existing suitable roads from the existing network.
In the long run, the government can also think of satellite cities, say for instance at Mantripukhri, Canchipur, Sawombung, Andro, Kangchup etc. But above all this, the government must first and foremost shed the mind-set that a city means one extended bazar, constituting of endless lines of shops and nothing else. Tree-lined avenues, green spots such as parks, well-marked parking areas, public transport waiting sheds, open malls where city residents can come out for evening strolls or morning walks are what make cities beautiful. India Gate in New Delhi, Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Mall in Washington DC, etc are just few examples.
But first and foremost, traffic discipline must be enforced strictly. Driving licenses must be given back its value. Only those who are conversant and are ready to respect traffic rules must be cleared for it. It must not be reduced to a purchasable commodity as it is very much now, where anybody willing to pay the prescribed bribe can have it without even a test of driving skills and traffic rules knowledge. Once this is done, only those with driving licence must be allowed to drive on public roads. Those who do so without license must be hunted down and suitably penalised. If those holding license break traffic rules, they must be made to bear the cost, including the cancellation of their licenses.
Traffic rules are nothing for the ordinary citizenry to be awed by. Most of what are prohibited or the rules that are prescribed follow common sense. Nobody needs to be taught that making U-turns at congested areas can cause a traffic bottleneck, or parking on bridges, or in front of fire hydrants can cause dangerous inconveniences in events of emergencies, etc. Driving against the traffic flow directions on roads with median dividers too is being allowed to be normalised, and so many do it. They are not only an eyesore, but can cause avoidable accidents. The government can start with strict prohibitions of these simple offences first and then progressively streamline more knotty and complicated offences till everything has been set in order.
Editor, Imphal Review of Arts and Politics and author
