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!
I saw your blog off your facebook pace. Nice post, and it is very well analyzed. Now you need to add the non-tangibles to the equation 🙂 eg. Things like frustration of truck drivers for sitting in heat/traffic and thereby drinking at the first country dhaba followed possible reckless driving (accidents) or spousal beating and thereby government hospital expenditure (all eating into the economy).
Cheers,
Ajay
PS. What is W/L?