Criticizing ``upwardly mobile'' Indians as a ``car-crazy'' lot, urban development minister Jaipal Reddy echoed Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday, urging states to take steps to discourage car buyers and turn them towards public transport namely a congestion tax on the lines of Singapore, a city admired by the same class.
"Upwardly mobile classes are crazy about cars. Car is a status symbol in the country and this state of car mania can be done away with only in a subliminal way and not by the government,'' Reddy said.
Queried on plans to introduce measures such as congestion tax on private vehicles during peak hours, Reddy said, "These are matters to be thought over and decided upon by state governments. But having regard to size of cities, every state government must think of measures like congestion tax."
Urban development minister Jaipal Reddy on Wednesday urged states to enforce measures to discourage car buyers and turn them towards public transport.
The minister said, "It (congestion tax) is there in Singapore and our upwardly mobile classes admire the model of Singapore. Having said that, we can't force the states to implement this tax." The minister also pushed the cause of pedestrians, calling upon authorities to take due care.
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with thanks : source : Times of India
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