“Maladapted” Public Transport Solutions: A Case of Amritsar in Punjab, India

Amritsar is a historical, cultural, and spiritual center in Punjab. The old core of the city is characterized by narrow lanes that are accessible by Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) modes only. Hence, diesel-fueled auto rickshaws and battery-operated rickshaws along with private vehicles are the dominant modes of transport in the city. The government of Punjab launched a Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT) system in Amritsar in the year 2014 in an attempt to boost the mass transit system in the city. The BRT has however largely been termed as a “failure” by the people of the city since it is currently operational only on three routes and there is still heavy reliance on IPT to commute within and outside the city. The other scheme that was aimed at climate change mitigation by reducing carbon emission was the phasing out of diesel auto rickshaws and switching to electric auto rickshaws seems like a “partially maladapted solution.” The scheme includes a subsidy component to facilitate the shift to “cleaner energy.” However, power in Punjab is largely generated in coal-based thermal power plants. The share of renewable energy is relatively low in the state. Therefore, shifting to e-auto rickshaws would simply mean shifting from one fossil-fuel-based energy to another. This chapter will evaluate the two transport schemes—the BRT and the e-auto rickshaw scheme to argue that these are examples of maladapted solutions to climate change mitigation since they are currently not integrated with each other;  and give recommendations to make them environmentally sustainable and better adapted to reduce carbon emission.