People and politicians from north-east India have from time to time raised demand for a separate time-zone for north-east, with a big time-difference of 127 minutes between extreme east and west zones of the country. But any system of dual time-zones may cause unwanted confusion in a country like India which is not tuned in for a system of dual time-zone. Demand of north-eastern states is highly justified for better utilisation of day-time energy when sun-rise and sun-set are comparatively much earlier there than rest of the country.
Union government should immediately take remedial measures by advancing time-zone by half an hour for the complete country, also as a compromise-formula for a uniform time-zone for whole of the country. Rather Indian government should approach international authorities deciding time-zones so that time-zone for a country may compulsorily be deviated by full one hour from GMT. Presently India has a time zone of GMT+5.30 hours which should be GMT+6 hours as also recommended by National Institute of Advanced Studies.
India should also take lead in taking up matter of metric-measure of time with concerned international authorities. When all other measures are converted in metric-system from earlier haphazard systems, metric-measure of time has not yet been introduced. Metric unit of time should be introduced with a complete day divided in 10 metric hours instead of present 24 hours. Each metric hour may have 100 metric minutes with a metric minute having 100 metric seconds thereby making a complete day of 100000 metric seconds instead of present 86400 seconds.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
