New Delhi: The government is examining the feasibility of having different time zones in the country with the department of science and technology (DST) conducting a study to assess the feasibility.
“The DST has been conducting studies on this, looking at what is the potential of energy saving if you have two different time zones. The study is being conducted to give “scientific inputs” on the matter,” DST secretary Ashutosh Sharma told PTI.
After being relegated to the backburner, the time zone issue has picked up again with Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu recently demanding a separate time zone for the Northeast.
“One can actually save energy because the sunrise and sunset timings are different (in the country), but the office timings are one across the nation,” Mr Sharma added.
The East-West spread of India extends for about 28 longitudinal degrees accounting for about 2 hours as a result of which the sun rises two hours earlier in the extreme eastern part of the country than its western tip.
With meal timings, office hours and school schedules staying uniform for the entire expanse of the nation, activities in the east get delayed compared to the western parts, thereby adversely affecting work efficiency.
At present, India’s time is set in accordance with the 82.5 degrees East longitude that determines the Indian Standard Time (IST), set five-and-a-half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
The IST longitude divides India into two parts, the eastern part comprising Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Sikkim and the seven Northeast states and the western part making for the other component.
The issue is one of the points in the agenda of demands framed by the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom, which is in talks with the Centre to chart out a solution to the decades-long militancy problem in Assam.
A separate time zone has been a long-standing demand of eminent personalities hailing from the region that has been spearheaded by eminent filmmaker Jahnu Barua.
Mr Barua has also worked out a model to calculate the monetary loss incurred in the Northeast because of following the IST. According to his calculations, every year, there is a loss of at least Rs 94,900 crore in the region because of redundant power consumption.
Interestingly, in 2009-10, the Union home ministry had also proposed a separate time zone for the NE.
