One of the less publicized aspects of Republic day celebrations is the difficulty people find in moving around.Almost everybody has to pay through his nose for transport.Taxi,tonga,auto-rickshaw drivers,quite unmindful of their duty to fellow beings charge exorbitant fare.The authorities appeal to them to charge reasonable fare is sure to fall on deaf ears.
The celebrations also raise many traffic problems.Having to handle movement of over a million pedestrians,200,00 cycles,4000 tongas,1200 taxis and 800 auto-rickshaws,the problem of the traffic police can well be imagined.It is well they have this year banned trucks from carrying passengers.But the order does not seem to apply to school authorities,who huddle children into trucks and take them here and there for rehearsals.It is a pitiable plight-children herded together like cattle.What a terrible physical strain it must be!
Last year both along the parade route and in the evening when people milled together on the roads to see the illuminations,hundreds of women were reported to have been molested and subjected to other indignities by hooligans.Many had their bracelets and ear-rings scratched away.What are we going to do with this menace that has been plaguing the Capital for quite some time now?
The Delhi Transport Service has recently been showing signs of life.It has at just responded to public criticism and launched a program of ration;alluring bus-routes and stops.
But while the authorities have shown the will to make bus travel more comfortable,they have shown themselves lacking in imagination.probably in order to spring a surprise on the people,the D.T.S. authorities kept them completely in the dark even after the changes were made.
Why all these changes could not be given wide publicity is hard to understand. Couldn't even notices have been put up in the buses and guides posted at stops for the first few days?