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Streetcars Named Jyoti

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Streetcars Named Jyoti A CALCUTTA DIARY missioner what he thought of the company's alleged manoeuvres. That the demarche had not taken place Streetcars Named Jyoti in New Delhi bespeaks tact some- where, for that would have been far that the workers would run the THE sequence of events leading to more embarrassing for both parties. service even if they were not paid the West Bengal Legislature (both For at least three years now the Bri- on July 7. It miraculously worked. Assembly and Council) on one day, tish shareholders wil have to wait Today (July 17) the trams are still and unanimously, passing the Cal- for their "juicy assets", for nothing running. cutta Tramways (Taking Over of is happening except a take-over of Management) Bill on Friday last Stranger things happened before the management which involves no was certainly history and drama the managerial take-over of Cal- major or final financial transaction. put together; and the protagonist cutta tramways was put into a Bill The President's assent should be was undoubtedly Jyoti Basu, the and passed unanimously. The com- here by Tuesday next, unless bigger State's Finance and Transport Mi- pany's Agent had suddenly disap- horses have gone into action and nister. The argument between the peared. The Chief Minister, then New Delhi has got cold feet at the Government of West Bengal and the in Delhi, insisted that there must Prime Ministerial level. Calcutta Tramways Company is by be a cabinet discussion before the The trams are in most parts of no means new. There is evidence decision on the take-over could be the world an obsolete form of pub- that even in the British days there finalised, which did not exactly lic transport. Only Calcuttans know were not a few arguments between strengthen Jyoti Basu's hands. But the mercantilists of the C T C and that they are a part of life. It is still Basu, no fool, acted entirely cor- possible to meet Bengalis who will the Athenians of the I C S; the rectly; he knew that the Bill need- company's rapacity was by and say that the buses are "vulgar", good ed the President's assent before it only for Bangals from the wrong large curbed by the "guardians'. became an Act and took the neces- The Government of Dr B C Roy side of the river, the Padma. The sary steps. Basu maintained the CTC never quite appreciated this was more sympathetic and signed essential tram services going and emotional attachment of a large an agreement of sorts which left all did not nationalise the company number of Bengalis to a parti- the aces with the C T C and the at all. cular form of transport, how- Government of West Bengal, to mix ever obsolete; and both the Gov- metaphors, at the wrong end of the The Diplomatic Demarche ernment and the company have stick. The company could be taken The joke meanwhile was that nei- gone about the whole business in a over in 20 years — at a price, a ther the C T C nor some pundits of singularly unimaginative manner. If price everyone knew the Govern- the Press had thought that there Friday was Jyoti Basu's finest hour, ment of West Bengal could never could be a certain distinction bet- it is still to be doubted whether he afford to pay. The company was ween a managerial take-over and knew just what he was doing and supposed to make an annual contri- nationalisation. They found the lat- undoing in transforming the city's bution to the acquisition fund. ter the handier expression, nation- trams. What the Transport Minister was alisation; and the City of London presented with a fortnight ago was went berserk. The shares of C T C Two Triumphs a state of bankruptcy; the com- went up by ten bob—to some peo- In the weeks to come there will be pany could not even pay wages to ple's benefit, no doubt. The C T C no end of argument over Jyoti Basu's its workers on July 7 unless the has threatened legal action, which act of decision. If Chavan has his Government of West Bengal under- in fact it could have taken earlier; way, the Centre may still have im- wrote an overdraft. but not many besides the company's pertinent things to say *— as on Naxal- not very bright advisers may take bari. The three achievements of the Basu Fox Enough the threat very seriously. Basu cer- CPI (M) will yet remain. It told Jyoti Basu, a newcomer to power, tainly has not. the Calcuta Tramsways Company was further flabbergasted by the There was probably nothing whol- where it had to get off. It told the company's piling affronts. It re- ly improper in the British Deputy British Deputy High Commissioner jected, from distant London, the High Commissioner, accompanied by where he got off. The assent of the Government's offer of an overdraft the Agent of the Calcuta Tramways CTC workers, unpaid, to carry on of Rs 11 lakhs, for it had not been Company, marching on the Trans- the services, as said earlier, was a accompanied by an increase in port Minister and telling him that great achievement. On top of all this tram fares. Without, apparently, the take-over bid might affect the was the the U F Government's achi- the consent of the cabinet, Jyoti course of British investment in West evement in winning over the Oppo- Basu rejected outright the com- Bengal; but the move was extra- sition completely. The take-over of pany's arrogant demand and decid- ordinary in more senses than one. the tramways was blessed by every ed to take over the management The dividing line between British single party in the legislature. It is of the company. He had earlier diplomacy and British commerce has difficult to think of any legislative been insistent with the unions that never been easy to define with pre- measure so blessed. nationalisation was out of the ques- cision; but the open identification The U F Government has said that tion. He now made an unprece- was more than illuminating. Jyoti it will appoint an Administrator for dented deal with the workers' Basu was not blinded and bluntly the C T C. It id not necessary to unions (not all C P I - controlled) told the British Deputy High Com- attribute to the functionaries of the 1289 .
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