Kolkata: Alumni and current students from some of Kolkata's prominent schools mounted a collective pitch to revive the city's tram network, arguing that trams are not merely a relic of the past but a vital, non-polluting solution to the city's worsening air quality and traffic congestion.
The call gained prominence at the Fifth Annual Inter-School Alumni Debate organised by the Our Lady Queen of the Missions School Alumni Association, Park Circus. The motion — ‘Tram routes in Kolkata need to be revitalised to manage pollution in the city' — struck a chord across the debating floor and beyond.
Six schools participated in the debate, with two alumni speakers from each institution. Participants came from Don Bosco School Park Circus, Saifee Golden Jubilee Public School, Sushila Birla Girls' High School, Shri Daulat Ram Nopany Vidyalaya, St Xavier's Collegiate School and Our Lady Queen of the Missions School.
The debate was moderated by cardiologist Kunal Sarkar and TEDx speaker Preeti Roy Choudhury. The judging panel comprised Pradeep Gooptu, founder of the Calcutta Debating Circle, and Abhijit Gupta of Jadavpur University. The open-house Q&A session, led by Debashish Bhattacharyya, president of the Calcutta Tram Users Association, reflected growing public interest in tram-led solutions. The House overwhelmingly upheld the motion. St Xavier's Collegiate School was adjudged best school while Subid Chakraborty of Don Bosco was named best speaker. Alokananda Sengupta of Our Lady Queen of the Missions School emerged the runner-up speaker.