OWNING A CAR BECCOMES EASIER
ARVIND K.PANDEY
(Published in BUSINESS ECONOMICS ,MARCH 15,2008)
The Tata Group has finally managed to take its most ambitious project to its logical culmination , bringing before the world $ 2,500 car " Nano " in all its grandeur . Certainly , it would be now easier for the middle class people to fulfil the cherish dream of owning a car . However , there are some grave implications , which cannot be ignored . Apart from unfortunate series of incidents that hit Singur , the poor roads and ever-increasing cases of rad rage would make the life hellish for the commuters especially the pedestrians and bicycle users . The Tata Group might boast of its fuel-efficiency but it's a harsh reality that huge consumption of petrol would only deepen the crisis of oil with mounting debt on the country caused by the huge imports of oil .Again , are we in a position to ignore our contribution of the carbon-emission ? More cars mean more carbon emission . Against the scenario , whererin developed nations are continuously screwing us , how do we plan to reduce the carbon-emission when we have provided the huge middle class a perfect route to own a car ? Perhaps instead of providing wings to common man's greed , it would be much better to provide them living standards not marred by lack of basic amenities .What prevents the corporate giants and government to start a joint initiative to provide us better roads , pure water , sound education and quality health facilities , to name a few ? Lastly , owning a bicycle than a car would please the Mother Earth more !!
