Kill it, let it die, let's not drag this colossal waste. Bankruptcy with monthly losses totaling Rs 5 crore, indignity of unpaid salaries for 11,500 staff members who help run only 1500 buses forced this euthanasia on the government-run bus transit undertaking in Madhya Pradesh. But we were probably expecting this to happen. Not just to this undertaking in India's largest state but to numerous other city-transport undertakings that have state governments as their bosses.

India's largest state is not alone. The crisis engulfs government-run city transport undertakings in most other states. Cities face either a total collapse of public transport, or chaos with private bus operators running amuck. Institutional failure of this magnitude spells disaster