ANALYSIS
Why not advance official timings in Northeast by, say, half an hour or one hour for conducting business?
Indian boundaries span about 3,000 km from east to west. What happens due to this is that the East, particularly the Northeast, experiences early sunrise and consequently early sunsets. By the time the sun rises in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (around 6 am), it feels like 7 am in Imphal, Manipur. Similarly, when it’s about dusk in Jaisalmer, Imphal would already be pitch-dark. That’s the contrast. No wonder there have been demands to have a separate time zone, more so for the Northeast. But is it that simple to have two time zones? Is this the only way out? What are its consequences? These questions merit careful consideration while debating such demands.
Having one time zone puts the Northeast out of sync with the natural diurnal rhythm. Government offices and routine businesses generally start around 9.30-10.00 am. That’s five to six hours post-sunrise. By the time the day closes, it already becomes quite dark. As a result, government offices, businesses, and residential localities are not able to effectively utilise available sunlight. This leads to sub-optimal energy consumption in the region. Further, due to an early sunset, people usually prefer to go back home rather than spend time in outdoor recreational activities. This impacts people’s productivity and socialisation activities, and also establishments like theatres, restaurants, shopping malls, etc.
Interestingly, India had two time zones before Independence. Calcutta time and Bombay time, with more than an hour’s gap between them. There was a Bagaan Time as well, followed locally in the tea gardens of Assam. Post-Independence, the government adopted IST (5.30 hours ahead of GMT) as one standard time zone. The rationale was to institute uniform timekeeping across the country. This was crucial to eliminate any grounds of confusion in transportation or government workings and ensure smooth coordination across the country. While seven decades have passed, several concerns still remain relevant to this debate. One can imagine, if the country were divided into time zones, there would be utter public chaos at borders. A majority of the population continues to reside in rural areas where people would surely find it difficult to graft the concept of changing time zones. Co-ordinating with government and businesses would also become difficult. Any error in resetting clocks across borders may have disastrous consequences, particularly for railways where still there are manual interventions in signalling and timetabling. Risk of accidents would always loom threatening the gains from different time zones. And more importantly, it could also be a threat to the unity of the country. Insurgency movements could twist and manipulate different time zones for political gains.
True that the push for having two time zones has merit, but the reason for not having the same is also compelling, and possibly even more so. The question then is what’s the solution? The government had examined this issue in the past and decided against multiple time zones. Few years back, scientists from National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore drafted a paper on this subject. The authors analysed the merits and demerits of having multiple time zones and instituting daylight saving time (DST) as well. They also rejected both these options but instead proposed advancing the IST by 30 minutes, ie, GMT + 6.00 hours. But, the paper leaves few pertinent questions unaddressed. How would this transition happen? What would be the costs, processes, and protocols of this step? Would it be easy for governments, businesses, railways/airlines, etc, to shift the clock across the entire country? What are the risks and how to mitigate them? More importantly, in the current circumstances, one also needs to revalidate the benefits as energy supply and consumption patterns have changed dramatically over the last few years. In any case, the broader consensus was clearly against multiple time zones.
That said, there is another potential solution worth considering. Why not shift the official business timings in the Northeast by say half an hour or one hour? This would mean that offices and business would start and end early. The usual 9.30 am to 5.30 pm cycle would become 8:30 am to 4:30 pm instead. This won’t require large-scale adjustments. Schools, colleges/universities or even private shops won’t be impacted at all. Transport entities such as railways and airlines can continue with the current timetables. Government offices and possibly business houses will need to ensure that their coordination happens during the working window and last-minute rushes are avoided. Simply put, this option addresses all major concerns with minimum disruptions to the existing way of life.
In the meantime, one can notice a broader policy shift towards integrating and unifying governance aspects in the country.
The authors are economists with NITI Aayog. Views expressed are personal.
Shah Rukh Khan's mentor Eric D'Souza passes away, actor said he is 'the only man in the world...'
DNA TV Show: Does Lawrence Bishnoi want to become the king of Mumbai's underworld?
BCCI scraps Impact Player rule from THIS major tournament after retaining it for IPL
PAK vs NZ: India knocked out of Women's T20 World Cup after New Zealand beat Pakistan by 54 runs
Air Pollution: GRAP Stage-I imposed across Delhi NCR, here are do's, don'ts to follow
What is Lawrence Bishnoi's sheild? How his gang claims high-profile targets across India?
Delhi Air Pollution: Govt imposes GRAP Stage-I across NCR as air quality remains 'poor'
India to withdraw high commissioner from Canada, expels 6 Canadian diplomats
Comedy Nights with Kapil-fame Marathi actor Atul Parchure passes away at 57
Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah to take oath as CM on THIS date
Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries' net profit slips by 5% to Rs 16563 crore due to...
Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms partners with THIS company, set to offer...
Blending tradition and innovation, Nisschal Zaveri reimagines ghazal music
This is world’s largest cargo plane, can carry a maximum payload of 51000 kg, its size is…
Gautam Adani’s Rs 36979734000 project in Sri Lanka faces BIG risk as new govt to...
Hyundai Motor India IPO opens tomorrow;10 points to know
What is 'Dabba Calling' technique, which Lawrence Bishnoi use to run his gang from jail?
Sylvi Diwali Delights Sale: Brings Luxury Wristwatches at Exclusively Festive Prices
The SEO Expert's Take: Alekh Verma On The Latest Google Trends
Mumbai: CM Eknath Shinde's big move, no toll tax for THESE vehicles at all 5 toll plazas
Even as Giant ‘Chopsticks’ Snag Starship’s Booster: Beginning of new era in rocket recovery
Meet man who left high-paying job at Google, scored highest marks in UPSC history, serves as...
Reliance, Adani, Tata's big move: These among other companies to invest Rs 6,72,43,36,00,00,000 in…
5 companies that made Gautam Adani a billionaire
SBI Card, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank make big changes to credit card rules, know details here
7th Pay Commission BIG update: DA hike before Diwali? Here’s what we know
Meet Arshia Siddique, murdered NCP leader Baba Siddique's daughter, doctor by profession, is also...
Air Hostess opens up about the 'dark side' of flights, shares SHOCKING details
Narayana Murthy's Infosys earned Rs 6913 crore in just 5 days from...
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI turns 'poor' after festive celebrations, know when will it improve
Meet woman, former model who left Rs 18 lakh job, now runs business worth Rs 30000000 , she is...
Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray admitted to HN Reliance Hospital
NASA set to launch Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter today, here's all you need to know
Delhi govt imposes ban on firecrackers till January 1 to combat air pollution
'Rs 20 Crore Toh Rakhna Padega': Ashwin's reply to fan who wants this player in RCB
26 poorest countries in debt since 2006, financial shape increasingly vulnerable: World Bank
WhatsApp New Updates: Know all about creating call links, Imagine feature
Why Jimmy Tata was not chosen to succeed Ratan Tata’s legacy?
Is Ranbir Kapoor getting married again? Well, there's a twist
Egg vs Chicken: Evolutionary science reveals what came first
Meet man whose father is among India's richest, manages operations of India's largest...
Scientists claim 2 people communicated in their dreams in world first
Prime Minister Internship Scheme: Over 9000 opportunities from these TOP companies
After Air India, Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight gets bomb threat
JEE Main, NEET UG, CUET 2025 Exam Dates: When, where to check NTA exam calendar online
Techie walks out of interview after being asked to draw Indian flag, here's what happened next
Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan to help India qualify for semifinals? Here's how
Malayalam actor Bala arrested after ex-wife Amrutha Suresh files harassment complaint
Ratan Tata changed fate of THESE companies, are now globally recognised brands, they are...
SpaceX's historic milestone, catches giant Starship booster mid-air while landing, watch viral video
THIS team has most centuries in T20I cricket, not Australia, England, it is…
Air India Mumbai-New York flight diverted to Delhi after bomb threat
Deepika Padukone's trainer shares 5-minute workout plan to stay fit during festive season
Tamil Nadu Rain: Orange alert issued in Chennai, neighbouring states likely to see heavy downpour
Big challenge for Mukesh Ambani’s Jio, Sunil Mittal's Airtel from BSNL's under Rs 350 broadband plan
Pakistan Under Lockdown: No schools, colleges, ban on marriages till 16 October due to...
Bigg Boss 18: Triptii Dimri says she has ‘grown up’ watching Vivian Dsena’s shows
Mukesh Ambani's superhit plan for Jio users, 2 new recharge plans announced with unlimited 5G data