goes through Rashbehari Avenue, A. T. Mukherjee Road, Chowringhee, Bentink Street, Chitpore Road to end up at Beadon Street Chitpore Road crossing.

Loop lines will connect the arterial Northern and Southern Lines along Park Street and Beadon Street respectively.

A future Single line extension of Circle line is also envisaged between the Suburban Rly. Stn. in Howrah and the Howrah Bridge Approach. This Howrah line will be at the surface along a restricted carriageway on the Howrah Bridge and will be provided only when the second Hoogly Bridge will be completed.

A single line operation is also feasible for all the routes with this proposed layout which will reduce the capital cost by about 40 per cent.

With this multideck system coming into operation the city's transport system will have a complete new look. The slow moving trams have already passed their time and are surviving only here because there is no other alternative. But they would have to go sometime or other. Along the route of proposed subway, trams will not be necessary and the trams in these routes can be diverted to other routes to offect increased frequency. This will also provide faster movement for vehicular traffic along these routes. With the trams taken on and introduction of one way traffic system in Brabourne Road and Strand Road from Howrah Bridge Approach to Canning Street, the daily bottlenecks of traffic movement at Howrah Bridge could easily be avoided. Also as an interim measure if there is any difficulty in obtaining suitable transit cars, trams with minor modifications must be used in the subway.

Looking at the mass transportation problem of Calcutta critically it appears that provision of either Circular Railway on surface or an Elevated Railway does not give a satisfactory solution, whereas the tube tunnel is far too expensive a scheme.

The cost of this scheme will be comparable with that of the Elevated Railway-whereas the supporting structures of the latter scheme will reduce the usuable carriage-way of existing roads by 33%. As it is, things are bad enough and with a third of the usuable carriageways gone, how far the Elevated Railway will be effective, is anybody's guess. The major gain for Calcutta will be a 28' 0" wide concerete paved surface carriage way running along Cornwallis Street, College Street, Strand Road Harrion Road etc. The nightmarish condition of these roads today may appear to be a thing of the past. The tube tunnel on the other hand will not only cost 150% more than the Cut and Cover method but will also be unable to provide the concrete road surface inherent in this new method of construction.

Our egineers can take up the work of planning, design and execution of this scheme and the work of construction may be undertaken entirely by local labour. There is no foreign exchange involved and surely the services of foreign technical experts will not be called for.

now left to the couutry's intelligentia for further improvement of the scheme in order to give it a final shape. Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the help rendered by Sri D. Nagchowdhury, Senior Engineer, Blue Star Engineering Co. Ltd. Sri D. Indu Senior Engineer. Simon Carves Co Ltd,, and Sri Satyabrata Sen, Executive Engineer Howrah Improvement Trust in preparing this article. Basic data for Calcutta's commuter volume has been obtained from C.M.P.O. which is thankfully acknowledged.

routes.

The main proposition, moved a year ago, suggesting several slabs in the rise was dro. pped and a new proposition by Mr. J. B. D'Souza, general manager, suggesting a flat increase of five paise has been accepted.

The new fare structure is expected to come into force when the Government gives its consent.

Commission Of Inquiry

Mr. Justice Chandrachud, at the Bombay High Court, on November 17 adjourned to December 6 the final order on the appeal filed by Mr. Madhu Mehta, general secretary of the Bombay region of the Swatantra Party, against an order of the Bombay City Civil Court.

The lower court had dismissed a notice of motion taken out by Mr. Mehta in a suit challenging the rise in the fares of buses plied by the BEST Undertaking, allowed by the Corporation on October 24.

The respondents to the appeal were the Bombay Municipal Corporation, chairman of the BEST committee, Mr. J. K. Joshi, and the general manager of the BEST, Undertaking, Mr. J. D' Šouza.

Making the order of adjournment, His Lordship observed: "Mr. S. C. Chagla, who appears on behalf of the appellant, says that the sole object of his client in bringing the present suit and in filing his appeal is to focus attention on an issue of great public importance. Mr. Chagla says that the object of the suit and the appeal is certainly not to stifle a rise in bus fare if it is justified by the facts and circumstances of the case.

"He says that if the corporation passes a resolution that a commission of inquiry be appointed for considering the necessity for raising the bus fares and the question connected therewith, he would be agreeable to withdrawing the suit and the appeal.

"Mr. Rajni Patel, who appears on behalf of the corporation and other respondents, says that the issue is of such importance to the general public that he on his own part would have no objection to the appointment of such a commission. Mr. Patel says that every aspect of the matter has already been considered with all the care possible by the general manager of the BEST Undertaking, but if any further consideration is possible., he would have no objection to it.

"Mr. Patel promises to impress upon the Mayor and other officers of the corporation of the necessity of passing a resolution for the appointment of a commission of inquiry.

"I would not like to say anything which would fetter the discretion of the corporation in arriving at a decision which they in their best judgement would deem to be in the interest of the public. I, however, agree with Mr. Chagla that the matter is of such importance that though the question might have been considered with all the care possible by the general manager of the BEST Undertaking, it would be necessary to consider it further from a wider aspect.

"For example, a commission of inquiry might profitably inquire whether a rise in the bus fare is the only avenue open for increasing its present revenue. The commission might also consider whether it is not possible to take any other effective steps for combating what is described as a somewhat pitiable plight in which the undertaking finds itself today.

"All I will say is that I do hope that the corporation will consider the question carefully and, if necessary, pass a resolution for the appointment of a commission of inquiry. If such a commission is appointed by the Government, the corporation might see its way to implementing its report."