Title: Need to introduce different time zones for Eastern India- Laid.
(CONTAI) : It has been reported in some sections of the Press that Government of India is considering introducing a different time zone for Eastern India. If true, this is a welcome move which enable fuller use of the daylight and avoid a lot of pressure on the electricity in many eastern States. In fact, a separate time zone was prevailing in Eastern India until our Independence. They used to be ahead of India Standard Time. But immediately after Independence, this system was abolished. It was truly a retrograde development that the time differential in sun-rise and sun-set between Kohima and Bombay was one and a half hour. If a different time zone is introduced in Eastern India, people in the Eastern and North Eastern States can start working much earlier and also wind up their offices well before the sun-set. Government should therefore introduce different time zone for Eastern and North Eastern India without further delay.