I
was aware that the invention of the wheel was a milestone in the development and
progress of transport. Its use in transport from single wheeled vehicles to the
most sophisticated multi-wheeled transport system has increased the speed of
vehicles. I knew that the growth in transport vehicles has brought in many
hazards too. One of the menaces is that the Public Transport System by road and
rail takes up large areas of land. The alarming figures of acquisition are
between thirty to sixty per cent in the metropolitan cities. These acquisitions
are made without any foresight. Due to that certain areas became landlocked
preventing further development. Wet lands became waterlogged thereby making
cultivation impossible. The remaining land was scattered and therefore
cultivation became impracticable. Those who were neighbours for generations
became total strangers over a period of thirty to forty years when a land
acquisition by the government forcibly separated them either by a highway or a
railway line. These severances remain as a “Berlin Wall” between them to last a
whole life time.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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