This revelation is sure to draw mixed reactions among different segments of the public. There will be those who will treat this as a positive economic indicator for a Third World Country such as Mauritius plagued by a protracted conflict nation while there will be others who will be quick to point to the glaring disparity between the Have and Have-nots not as mirrored by the opulence in the cities.

Those who espouse the former theory are bound to point out that contrary to the bleak economic picture being painted by some critics the country can still make a fair claim to be an emerging Third World economy.
There is some credence attached to this school of thought given the never ending stream of vehicles that ply our roads at any given time almost cheek by jowl – most of them BMWs and other limousines owned by the mega rich that has added to the picture of opulence.

While the government may take pride in this distinction attached to the country it would do well to take cognizance of the downside of this whole development.

It is clear that Mauritius is in the throes of an energy crisis compounded by this rise in world oil prices and the addition of 400 000 fuel guzzling vehicles into the existing volume – and within six months at that – is not a very pleasing prospect.

The government of course cannot force vehicles off the roads in the name of austerity. But immediate measures should be taken to curb the heavy volume of vehicles that are choking our highways.

At a time the country is facing a huge import bill the volume of vehicle imports should also stir the government into action. A world class public transport system is one way of persuading people to give up their cars at least on the trip to and from office.

One needs to look at the duty structure for diesel passenger vehicles. The idea of charging a high percentage duty on diesel passenger vehicles is possibly to prevent the private motorist from enjoying the subsidy granted to goods and passenger transporters.

But the authorities have overlooked the fact that today’s diesel vehicles are ultra-fuel efficient and ultra clean. In other words, a diesel vehicle can go much further on a litre of fuel than a petrol vehicle of a similar engine capacity.

We should consider the environmental effects of the increase in volume of motor vehicles on our roads. In fact, many countries are now taxing vehicles according to their carbon dioxide emissions, not engine size. Such a system should be adopted here as well.

We see members of the Traffic Police wearing handkerchief masks to escape noxious vehicle emissions while they are actually required to apprehend the offenders. Such vehicles must be phased off the road, at least by giving duty concessions for such owners to buy new vehicles.

All these factors must be taken into account to formulate a national vehicle/road transport policy that also accommodates future requirements.