We hit Surat at 3.40am. Baroda would be max 3 hours from then. Cool thus far. No issues. Estimated Baroda time @ 6.30 am… perfect for the morning tea in the balcony.
Until we hit the Narmada bridge traffic jam just before Bharuch. Kilometers upon kilometers! I believe they constructed a new bridge just a few years ago, but that’s weakened or whatever! So only one lane traffic …
I am already 3 hours in this mess.
This problem, I hear has been since quite some time. Last week all the exit roads from Bharuch were blocked because of this bridge, people were caught in a jam for hours in 43deg c temperatures!
But the administration doesn’t care hoots. “We have written to the govt” is the reply. Can you believe that – after months of a festering problem, all they can answer is that.
Just a very rough calculation on wastage:
5000 heavy vehicles in the traffic jam at any given time
Assuming 10% passenger buses with 50 people each
Total people in the jam @ 10,000
Avg time in the traffic: 3-4 hrs
Avg fuel burnt: 2 liters of diesel every hour
Total fuel wasted/hour: 20,000 liters diesel
Manhours wasted/hour: 10,000 hours
Now this is a tricky pipeline kinda problem with vehicles joining the jam and vehicles leaving the jam … but a very rough consideration will give you at least
Total fuel wasted per day: 480,000 liters
Total manhours wasted per day: 240,000 hours
Total cost of fuel wasted/ day: Rs 2 crores
Assuming manpower cost of rs 500/hr, cost of total manhours wasted per day: Rs 12 crores
(It is a separate thing that people and their time is taken for granted in India)
So total wastage / day: Rs 14 crores – at this single junction point!
Anyone listening? Incredible India? Garvi Gujarat, Mr Modi? How garvi is this?
Wonder why would the administration care. There is a separate car lane for them to scurry across.
Meanwhile for people in trucks and buses – well, they are not humans in any case. They seem to be cursed forever to kill time. For guys in non-ac vehicles, they have to additionally cope up with eating smoke, cursing their fate and the cars passing by!