It is well known throughout the world that India's infrastructure sector is a potential goldmine for investment. However, very little is getting done. This, even though we have a vibrant democracy with a free and vocal press. The Hindustan Times, a leading newspaper, for example, launched a "Collapsing Gurgaon" series. However, our civil servants and politicians obviously don't need to read the Hindustan Times--and the 2.25 million people who do obviously don't matter as voters.
What are the solutions? Why is it that the road inside a private colony like DLF or Unitec is clean while the road outside gets washed away after every little rainfall?
The solutions are probably several but do come down to votes. There are many more people living in Indian slums than there are living in the high-rise apartments. Hence, although the middle-class may have some wealth to complain about garbage, the poorer ones need to worry about food, clothing and shelter and when everyone has one vote, that is where the politicians go.
There is also no clear accountability for the roads when the potholes develop. I don't want to get sued but when one vendor builds a private road and it is fine for years but the next vendor builds the government-funded outside roads and that breaks down after one rain, who benefits? You do the math.
Ultimately, everything comes back to doing the right thing. There is no sense of social justice in India because we are used to a caste system and a sense of disparity that would be unacceptable in most other parts of the world. Those who complain about garbage in their backyard forget that many others live amongst that garbage. Unless the slums get better infrastructure as well, including functioning schools, hygiene, security and clear avenue for productive employment, the major voting bloc will will always lie there. When a politician can get 100 votes by installing one toilet, why would he bother to build roads that are more expensive and laborious?
Think about it: as we sow, so do we reap. If we can spend a few hours a week, educating our servants and empowering them, we will eventually improve our own lives. A few will leave employment, armed with the greater knowledge but the majority will stay because they know that they can benefit even more. That is where the votes are and that is the community that will get the minimal service required to retain the votes. Until then, the middle class can charter 20 air-conditioned buses to Chandigarh in Haryana or the Vidhan Soudha in Bangalore and will continue to get polite nothings.
So let us fight for more, for sure. But let us fight for the larger community and town rather than the smallest development, for that is the only way that the politicians will listen.
Alternately (but impracticably) clean up your own backyard, the way DLF and Unitec do it. However, the scale of this problem is too large for anyone except the government (or accountable sub-contracted vendor) to handle on an ongoing basis, in my humble opinion.
The ultimate solution to cleaner & better roads and slums is a cleaner conscience, which, in the case of our politicians and bureaucrats, they have got submeged in their own garbage ..... hence cannot see.
ReplyDeleteThese are great posts, Raja, keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteGood point about the politicians . . . but ultimately, they go where the votes are. I do think i need to expand on the last paragraph about cleaning up my own backyard and look more inwards, however. Maybe a private effort to clean up my backyard will help, as well as an attempt to not make a mess in the first place (throwing garbage out of cars, for example). So i need to look inwards as well . . . however, this will not be sufficient to address the larger issue of a broken road network even as India moves towards superpower status based on its exceptional technological network!
ReplyDeleteThree quick thoughts on this Raja:
ReplyDeletea) The long term progress of India will be defined by its ability to 'empower' (as you call it) the most underprivileged of society. Except for what has been done in telecommunications, it is not yet evident....at least not to me. I do recognize that when I visit India, I am exposed to a very limited India & as such I may be biased on this.
b) As a society until we can all (including I am afraid the poorest of society) move away from the notion that the installation of a toilet in a slum is so much more than anyone expected from the government & that that in itself has no bearing on the slum needing basic hygiene, drinking water, garbage removal & the like; it will be difficult for India to compete as a developed nation. As a society our expectations from government is so little that that the example of the installation of one toilet sends the residents - & the rest of us - into relative raptures because the toilet was not provided by the politician's predecessor or did not exist when we were growing up!...plus the politician knows this & therefore as you suggested only invests in that one toilet to get the votes.
c) Lastly, what has to change is our 'civic sense' in India. It absolutely amazes me that I will see Indian residents of NJ being completely law abiding & socially conscious until they reach the boarding counter of their flight to India....It is almost as if they have been teleported to Chadni Chowk...do not misunderstand me, I love Chandni Chowk but it is not really the epitomy of social consciousness!
As far as the government is concerned, they are following the classic formula based on which most small businesses fail i.e. grow at all costs & infrastructure to support the growth will follow...it can seldom be timed right!
There is a typo on 'epitome'!
ReplyDelete