12 Kolkata: A day after the Calcutta High Court suggested that a public-private partnership be explored for the modernisation of at least one tram route, WBTC managing director Shiraz Daneshyar expressed support for the idea at the sixth Tram Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday. He also noted the potential for declaring the entire tram system as heritage, given the law's flexibility on heritage matters.
The high court had on Tuesday urged the court-appointed committee set up to explore ways to restore tram service as part of Kolkata's heritage to be positive at its meeting on Wednesday and explore private players who can run the tram service along the Maidan-Kidderpore route in a proper module created under the PPP model.
Daneshyar also indicated that the modernisation and restoration of the tram system would require around Rs 70 crore. He presented data comparing population density and road space percentages across cities with tram systems to point out that Kolkata was extremely congested with minimal open space. However, the representatives of action group PUBLIC argued that this meant Kolkata required more efficient mass mobility solutions like trams. The MD also concurred with Calcutta Tram Users' Association president Debasish Bhattacharya that mass transport would address this need.
The committee also discussed specific route restoration plans, including the Tollygunge-Ballygunge route that is ready but where services have not commenced due to a delay in Kolkata Traffic Police giving its NOC. The police representative withheld the bitumenisation report findings, indicating they would be submitted to the court.