Kolkata, in protest mode, gives unexpected boost to tram enthusiasts fighting a losing battle

The sole tram lovers’ body in Kolkata — which has long been demanding the revival of the slow, charming and environment-friendly mode of transport — received warm and unexpected support from crowds when its members joined a recent protest march demanding justice in the R.G. Kar Hospital rape and murder case of a young doctor on duty.

The number of Calcutta Tram Users’ Association (CTUA) members who joined the march from College Street to Dharmatala on Sunday evening was not even 20, but they were immediately backed by dozens in the procession, many of who held aloft CTUA banners that declared trams to be the most women-friendly mode of transport.

“The organisers invited us to join their procession and allowed us to use CTUA banners. It is possible that they wanted supporters from a variety of NGOs to strengthen their cause. CTUA members had so far joined different protest meets in individual capacities but never under the umbrella of CTUA, so we happily accepted the invitation,” Debasish Bhattacharyya, a retired scientist and president of CTUA, who walked all the way to Dharmatala, told The Hindu.

Mr. Bhattacharyya insisted that the tram was the safest mode of public transport in terms of accidents and crime, and that the number of crimes on tramcars was close to zero worldwide. “Metro rail is safe in the sense that the offender cannot escape, provided immediate action is taken, but a sense of insecurity exists in the compartments as there is no human interaction and the movements are within tunnels,” he said.

“The tram also offers safety for women in many other ways. First, it has a low floor, and jerks and jolts are minimum as their accelerations and decelerations are slow. Boardings and getting off are carefully monitored. There are definite instances where paediatricians advised mothers during their prenatal and postnatal stages to travel only by trams. Also, it is affordable,” Mr. Bhattacharyya added.

What most enthused members of the CTUA, which is fighting what appears to be a losing battle against the shutting down of this iconic mode of transport, was total strangers, particularly young women, coming forward to hold its banners.

“Innumerable citizens interacted with us and showed their solidarity. Many people were unaware of CTUA, so the march was good public relations for us. In fact, many protesters said that because of the R.G. Kar Hospital incident, they were now thinking of safety for women commuters and were realising how the tram is actually safe,” the CTUA president said.

He said he was happy he joined the march because everybody on the street that evening was fighting just one thing — corruption — something that was linked to the R.G. Kar Hospital incident and also the demise of the tram.

Tram lovers, in fact, are also pointing out how the recent wave of protest marches in Kolkata showed that the city was inherently walkable and that its walkability should be developed. “These protests, conducted entirely on foot, highlight the inherent walkability of our cities. What we need now is a reimagination of this walkability, recognition of its importance and its integration into urban planning and daily routines,” urban transport activist Arghyadip Hatua said.