Crocodile tears

Prof. Viyatprajna Acharya.
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When I spread newspaper in the morning, in the front page there was a call for bundh for price rise and the main reason for price hike was hike in fuel price. I too thought-“Yes! Something has to be done! Why such a undue hike!
Turned all the pages and came to the last page- one full page ad for a single car! Car of the year and the features and blah blah. In another page banks are offering generous amount of car loan, they are sending repeated messages to my mobile phone also and many a times customised phone calls, where the machine will read my name in an awkward manner and let me know what type of loan I am eligible for!
Blame it on any political party, things are not going to improve regarding fuel issue, because the resources are limited and our greed and laziness unlimited.
After visiting Europe, especially Denmark, I felt we need a sea change in our behaviour. Wherever we went found bicycles, tricycles, cycles with carriages, mothers carrying their babies in a side-carriage….In the common places there would be cycle stands where one can chain their cycles and take public transport and travel to workplace or any visiting places. In Sweden every road had a cycle lane and the public transport was optimum.
And the result?? Every citizen was fit and agile. Environment was pollution-free. Denmark has a goal to go absolutely pollution-free for certain areas by 2020.
In a country like India we need to introspect and re-haul our system:
1.The number of vehicles to be let out to the market should be restricted
2. Parking fee should be increased.
3. One 4 wheeler should be allowed per family
4.Cycle lanes should be well-demarcated
5. Public transport should be strengthened and people should be encouraged to take them
6. Alternate source of petroleum should be found at the earliest

Petrol prices are hiked but car ads increase (mostly full-page ads), high definition cars with less mileage are increasing, we go for morning-walks to the park by burning fuel early morning…whom should we complain and why…let the change begin with ourselves.
Are we not pouring crocodile tears by bringing out these burning issues and making the Government responsible!