One finds it almost impossible to travel from point A to point B in Ranchi without experiencing the potholes and traffic jams. Also the whole concept of walking and cycling are almost extinct in the region unless one is staying in the affluent neighbourhoods which are mostly occupied by the rich outsiders which the low people famously call as “Daku’. However if one finds it closely, the outsiders or dakus are replaced by the local rich sections who in most instances belong to the political system. The public transport system is absent in the state and people are mostly dependent on the private vehicles or the sharing transport modules like Tuk Tuk or private buses. Even after being included under the Smart cities mission and earlier in Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), no major upgrade is found in improving the public transport in the city. Also the traffic management in the city is horrible as no modern management mechanisms are implemented except the CC cameras for law and order and automate the fine imposition. Now the question arises which is “Is Ranchi ready for the 21st Century?”. Why hasn't the government implemented any solution to the problem?
I found three stakeholders who will play a key role in implementation of the public transport in the city. They are not just collaborators but can also be impediments to implementing public transport. They should be involved from the start if the government plans to solve the problem. They are
Public (Includes commuters and other benefited population)
Strong (also rich) private transport business lobby
Private transport labourer unions.
State (includes the urban planners and other bureaucrats)
We will dive deep into each of the stakeholders and also try to touch on the different public transport models which might be suitable for the Ranchi city later.
Thanks for reading.
