Unity in diversity: The case for two time zones in India

India prides itself on its unity in diversity. For many countries worldwide, diversity may have become their baggage, but it has bloomed into an asset in India's case. However, for some reason, this diversity has not been allowed to extend itself to having different time zones in India. This denial is not just a suppression of the natural time zones of the country; it also carries substantial economic costs and human distress.

Most of us are unaware that the sun rises in India's far east, first in Dong of Arunachal Pradesh, two hours before it rises in the country's far west, in Guhar Moti of Gujarat. It is quite natural, for from the most distant east to the farthest west, India covers near about three thousand kilometres.

Most of us are also not aware that the single time zone hurts India's northeastern states and also Bengal, but to a lesser extent. So, it is not surprising that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has flagged the issue of a separate time zone again. Since it was raised in Parliament twenty years ago, MPs from the Northeast have raised it many times, but with little success.

The logic of the demand lies in what we can call unutilised sunlight count. Sunrise in Guwahati is at 4.31 AM and sets at 6.18 PM on June 21st, the day of the summer solstice (when the day is the longest). On the winter solstice, December 22nd, when the day is the shortest, sunrise is at 6.06 AM and sets at 4.37 PM. So, the all India office timings, 10 AM to 5 PM, mean office ends in the evening in winter, while it starts much later in the summer.

Compare Guwahati's case with Ahmedabad's. Even on the shortest winter solstice day, sunrise is at 7.17 AM, and it sets at 6 PM, thus encompassing the office timings in its fold. So, the Indian Standard time, Allahabad (Mirzapur, to be more precise) time, is heavily tilted towards the country's western border and is suitable for the rest while disadvantageous for the northeastern states and parts of Bengal. Let us see how.

First, due to standard office timings, including banks, the first disadvantage is the loss of daylight hours for schools, colleges, and offices. It increases the risks for women, for they leave the office at a time, particularly in winter, when it is already evening. It affects educational standards, particularly among the poorer sections, because they have to go to bed early (about 9 PM) like the whole area, reducing their study time.

Secondly, it also has economic costs, to avoid which the tea gardens set their clocks ahead by an hour of IST long ago. Some researchers have claimed that Rs 30,000 crore is lost annually due to a single time zone. The spending on electricity for offices and streetlights goes up due to the early onset of evening, and this weighs as an extra burden for the entire Northeast. Again, due to early sunset, people of the Northeast and Bengal cannot utilise opportunities to work in a distant place. This is truer for women.

Thirdly, it affects health also, as humans work more efficiently during the day. While the people of the Northeast wake up early, they spend the morning lazily as the office starts late. Late school timing affects the school-goers' health as they do not get much time to play in the afternoon.

While the demand for a separate time zone has been raised several times in the last twenty years, the powers in Lutyens' Delhi have never paid heed to it. The matter has never been seriously discussed. The main argument against a separate time zone is that of national integrity. It is argued that a different time zone for the Northeast would inject a sense of alienation, of being out of the mainstream, and would ignite separatist feelings. But the last seventy years have proved that separatist tendencies grow out of many factors, often being actively aided by mainstream politicians. Further, Indian democracy has matured enough in the last seventy years, and a different time zone cannot hurt it.

There will indeed be some initial technical difficulties, but surely Indians, who have adapted so well to the computer age, would adjust to the transition to two time zones in a short time.

Now, when the Northeast is standing at the doorstep of a new era of economic development, creating a different time zone, preferably having a difference of one hour, will help the process. Furthermore, thanks to this particular feature, the region will attract many tourists and better integrate with the nation. After all, people's aspirations and related demands should get priority over old prejudices and the fear of new.

(The writer is a journalist and author based in Kolkata.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.

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