Separate Time zone For North Eastern states?

[suma25]

Time zone cry gains currency - Assam backs Jahnu Barua’s views, convenes experts’ meet next month A STAFF REPORTER Guwahati, March 5: Tapping an idea that has gained currency of late, Assam today set in process a move for a separate time zone for the Northeast. The state government has convened a conclave of scientists and experts in April and will also urge all the northeastern states to undertake a similar exercise to build up a consensus for the region before moving the Centre. Filmmaker Jahnu Barua — one of the main proponents of the idea — had recently organised a conclave here where experts cited reasons for the region’s backwardness because of its adherence to Indian Standard Time (IST). The issue was touched upon in the Assembly today when Congress MLA Bhupen Bora raised the matter and referred to the workshop here in which Barua made a forceful presentation on the need for a separate time zone for the Northeast. Assam science and technology minister Himanta Biswa Sarma later said the state would take up the issue for a separate time zone for the Northeast with all seriousness. “I assure the House that we will take a cabinet decision and raise it with the Centre,†he said. “Despite the sun rising in Guwahati 40 minutes before Allahabad, people in both the cities start work at the same timeâ€, he said, adding that as a “big brother†of the Northeast, Assam would take the lead. Sources said the Centre had set up a committee to examine the issue in 2001 and recommended the matter to the department of science and technology for examination. The department, however, rejected it, saying there was no need for a different time zone for the Northeast. Proponents of a separate time zone, like Barua, argue that in a country which has a single standard time based on its mean longitude, the people who live in India’s west are always in an advantageous position compared to the people in the east. The reason they stated was that the people in the country’s west get to start their day earlier than those staying in the east. At the workshop, Barua had pointed out that all the “prosperous states†like Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat were to the west of Indian Standard Time longitude whereas all the less productive states were situated in the east. “Being situated in the far east, the Northeast, which wastes two to three hours of daylight every day, having to function on IST, ends up being least productive, least progressive and least prosperous,†he had said. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100306/jsp/northeast/story_12182651.jsp

[achilles]

Can't they start the darn day 2 hrs early? Whats the need to change the whole timezone?

[The Outsider]

It's ridiculous for a huge country like India to have one time zone.

[coffee_rules]

Bangladesh has it's own timezone (1/2 hr early to IST) and some of the NE states are earlier than BD in terms on longitude.

[ViruRulez]

It's ridiculous for a huge country like India to have one time zone.

I wont deny it .. India should have at least 2-3 time zones as the conditions of the day from the far west to the far east of India differ by nearly 2-3 hours .. but I dont know if it would be a good idea now as people would find it difficult to understand the time zone thing easily .. I for one sometimes get confused with the US time zones myself .. I forget the placing of CST, PST, MST and EST and where they are placed and how much is the difference etc

[cowboysfan]

we need three time zones in india,i also advacate going all the way and include daylight saving if we are increasing the time zones.Daylight saving can provide huge savings in electricity,plus it will be fun for the kids with extra sunlight in the summer in the evening.

[DomainK]

I agree. There should be 3/4 time zones. And Viru, people will understand once its in place.

[flamy]

Makes sense.

[Gunner_Mania]

Yep. It is long over due. Flamy at 0 posts?

[kabira]

we just need seperate time zone for east bengal onwards. Rest is all fine.

[flamy]

Flamy at 0 posts?

:WTF:

[Crookbond]

The waste of daylight hours strengthens the case for a separate time zone ahead of IST for the eastern States http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/not-in-their-comfort-zone/article3935889.ece

Some advantages of advancing the clock would be: 1. Increased productivity: An early start would have more energetic people in the offices. 2. Reduced power consumption: Starting and closing an hour earlier would result in a saving an hour of electricity in offices. In homes, shops and restaurants about two hours would be saved as people would wake up and go to bed earlier, thus using more of the available daylight hours. A conservative estimate shows that starting the day an hour earlier would result in a saving of about 550 MW of power in northeast India alone. 3. Curbing alcoholism: With five to six “available extra hours” after work and with little else to do most people fall prey to alcoholism.

The alcoholism point is quite a unique way to position for daylight saving for India. :blink:

[Desi Cartman]

I predict that one of the political parties will declare as the first step towards another partition and will oppose it

[Stuge]

as if alcoholism is tied to time zones :hysterical:

[Desi Cartman]

as if alcoholism is tied to time zones :hysterical:

It is .. when I was in Aus EST I preferred Beer, wine and Tequila and since I have moved to the PST, I prefer scotch :icflove:

[Stuge]

It is .. when I was in Aus EST I preferred Beer' date=' wine and Tequila and since I have moved to the PST, I prefer scotch :icflove:[/quote'] Exceptions are always there :winky:

[someone]

China has one time zone as well. Haven't stopped them from being a superpower. Ridiculously, for anybody to believe that separate time zone would imply more productivity.

[Nova]

China has one time zone as well. Haven't stopped them from being a superpower.

China is a big country by area no doubt, BUT their population is mostly concentrated on the east regions. So what can we infer from this? :winky:

[Precambrian]

no need for time zones. instead just change the workingvhours

[someone]

China is a big country by area no doubt' date=' BUT their population is mostly concentrated on the east regions. So what can we infer from this? :winky:

That makes little sense. I would even say that many of their eastern cities are already far developed than our metro cities. The point is very simple if people start believing that time zone change will increase in productivity. We really do have a big problem. And the problem is in our minds and planning in believing in that nonsense.