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| May 03, 2007 6:01 am |
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Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes |
RAJAN ADVANI
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Trams were introduced (24.02.1873) by the Government to create a communication between the Sealdah and Howrah railway stations. The first line ran through Bowbazar street and Dalhousie Square to the Armenian Ghat on Strand Road, where passengers could avail steamers for crossing the river and reaching Howrah. Due to the loss involved, the service was soon disrupted (20.11.1873) and the railway and vehicles were sold out. A proposal of revival was mooted in 1878 and the previous purchasers formed the Calcutta Tramways Co. After the signing of a contract with the Municipal Corporation, trams were re-introduced (01.11.1880). The western horses pulling the trams often succumbed to the tropical heat and their frequent mortality encouraged experiments with steam engines (1882-83). Later, a proposal from Kilburn & Co. (1896) suggesting the use of electric power for trams was deemed a practical solution and horses were replaced with electricity in 1902. Like the trams, the earliest buses running between Calcutta and Barrackpore (1830) were driven by horses. Motor buses were introduced in Calcutta in 1822. Walford & Co. overtook other investors through their introduction of large red buses. They also brought in double-deckers (1926). The suburban bus-service was founded by Abdus Sobhan. Among private vehicles, bicycles came to Calcutta in 1899 and motor-cars in 1896. The business of cabs started in 1906. Rickshaws were imported by the Chinese around 1900, but by 1920 the business was entirely transferred to Indian hands.
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