A NANO THOUGHT

A NANO TOUGHT

ONE FAILS TO UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC BEHIND HAVING A SMALL CAR PROJECT SUCH AS NANO, WHICH IS GOING TO DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNRY.THE ONGOING SCUFFLE BETWEEN THE WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT AND THE TRINAMOOL CONGRESS LEADER MAMTA BANERJEE IS A SURE SIGN OF UNIDIRECTIONAL THINKING AMONG A SECTION OF POLITICIANS AND THAT TOO THOSE FORMING THE HARD- CORE COMMUNIST LEADERSHIP IN WEST BENGAL.
HAVENS’ WILL NOT FALL IF THE PROJECT IS GIVEN UP BY THE TATAS IN TO TO. THEY WANT TO TAKE A BIG CHUNK OF THE LAND OF THE POOR AND MARGINAL FARMERS LIKE THEY HAVE DONE IN SEVERAL OTHER STATES IN THE PAST. IT
SEEMS THAT EVERYTHING MUST GO IN FAVOUR OF THE CORPORATE CLASS . SUCH INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CAN NOT BE ACCEPTED WHEN THE STAKES ARE REALLY SO HIGH. WHAT WEST BENGAL GOVENRENT IS DOING NOW IS CLEARLY IN FAVOUR OF THE TATAS. IN A WAY ,THE GOVERNMENT IS ONLY VOICING THE CONCERN OF A MEMBER OF THE BIG CORPORATE LEAGUES IN THE NAME OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE .
SOMEHOW, ONE COULD ACCEPT AND UNDERST THE LOGIC BEHIND THE WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT’S PRESENT STANCE, IF THE PROPOSED BIG LAND TAKE OVER WAS FOR THE OVER LONG- TERM BENIFIT OF ALL SECTIONS OF PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE .
THINK OF IT, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET BENIFITTED BY THE PRODUCTION OF A SMALL CAR AS A SO- CALLED “CHEAP” CONSUMER PRODUCT ?
THRE ARE STILL MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO WILLNEVER BE ABLE TO AFFORD THIS CAR.PERHAP, ONLY A SEGMENT OF THE GROWING MIDDLE CLASS WILL BR ABLE TO PURCHASE THIS CAR . BUT WHY,AT THIS JUNCTURE ,WHEN THE LOTS
OF MAJORS FISCAL ISSUES ARE NEEDING THE THE URGENT ATTENTION OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR RESOLUTION, ENCOURAGE THE MIDDLE CLASS TO GO
IN FOR A LOAN OR PART WITH THE DISPOSAL INCOME WHICH CURRENTLY FORMS PART OF SAVINGS. COLLECTING EVEN RUPEES ONE LAKH COULD POSE A PROBLEM FOR MANY FAMILIES.BUT DESPERATION TO OWN A CAR WILL EVENTUALLY
SURPASS ALL CONSIDERATIONS.
SMALLCAR LIKE NANO, IF SOLD IN BIG NUMBERS,IS DEFINITELY GOING TO ADD TO THE PARKING PROBLEMS AND CONGESTION IN THE CITIES OF THIS COUNTRY.
THAT APART, CARS ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO ADD TO THE POLLUTION
PROBLEMS IN THE CITIES WHERE INCREASING TRAFFIC IS CONSTANLTY CHALLENGING THE BASIC INFRASTRCTURE . BESIDES THIS,WHAT ABOUT THE OIL IMPORT BILLS? THIS CAR ALONE IS GOING TO ENHANCE THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE PAYMENT BILLS TOWARDS THE INCREASING OIL IMPORTS SIGNIFICANTLY.
THE TRANSPORT SECTOR NEED FOR THE OIL WILL RISE CONSIDERABLEY IN
FUTURE AS LAKHS OF NEW CARS WILL ROAM THE ROADS.
R P NAILWAL, SEPTEMBER 25,2008