Amid uproar, Transport Minister says no date fixed to discontinue trams: ‘I’m aware of people’s emotions’

Kolkata is the only city in the country where trams continue to operate. Last February, the city’s iconic tram service celebrated 150 years of its first run. The first trams, drawn by horses, took to the city’s streets on February 24, 1873.

At present, trams are operational on only three routes.

“Tramways are leading to traffic jams and road accidents. It is also not economically viable. Only the stretch at Maidan, Esplanade, and Khidirpur will remain (operational),” the minister said.

On Monday, while speaking to mediapersons, the minister had said that the trams will soon be limited to the heritage stretch of Maidan and Esplanade, saying: “Roads comprise only 6 per cent of Kolkata’s surface area and with increase in vehicular traffic, we have observed that trams cannot ply the roads along the same routes at the same time as it is leading to congestion.”

Sharply reacting to the minister’s remark, the Calcutta Tram Users Association (CUTA) said it will hold demonstrations before five tram depots across the city in protest. The association has also launched a hashtag campaign on social media.

The High Court, while hearing a PIL, had last December suggested that a public-private partnership (PPP) model can be used to restore and rejuvenate tramcar services in Kolkata.

The proposed policy of curtailing tram services is facing stiff opposition from heritage conservationists and other organisations. A coalition of tram, cycle,  environment-focused organisations, along with city dwellers, staged a protest at the Calcutta Press Club earlier this year, demanding reinstatement of trams in Kolkata.

In 1895, Madras (the present-day Chennai) saw India’s first electric tramways enter service with seven cars. It soon became a popular mode of urban transport in big cities of Delhi, Mumbai, as well as smaller towns such as Nasik, Patna and Bhavnagar. Unlike steam locomotives, these were far cleaner and less noisy, and thus immediately became a preferred option.By 1902,  Calcutta saw its first electric tramcars, plying between Esplanade and Kidderpore, and Esplanade and Kalighat. After Independence, most cities gradually discontinued tram services. In the last two decades, Kolkata has also slowly minimised them.