3/4/2015

BudgetfantasyandgroundrealityTheHindu

Today'sPaperOPINION
Budgetfantasyandgroundreality
GautamBhatia

OncewhilewaitinginlineattherailwaystationinLucknow,Iwasapproachedbyatoutwhosaidhecouldgetmea
discountedtrainticketontheHandicappedquota.AllIhadtodowaslimpinfrontofthetrainconductor.Despitemy
protestthatIdidnthaveahandicap,heinsistedhehadgottenmanysuchtickets,andthatbothofuswouldbenefit
fromthedeal.
TherailwayBudgetobviouslycantaccountforsuchpettycorruptioninsteaditannounceswithmuchfanfareits
technologicalhopesforthenewcentury:1,200kilometresofnewtrack,17,000biotoilets,surveillancecamerasin
ladiescompartments,wheelchairsforseniorcitizens,wifiandmobilechargingfacilitiesatstations.Whileallthese
suggestgreaterconveniencetoitsusers,thereislittlebywayofserioustrainengineeringadvance.
Basicissues
TheIndianrailnetworkisthefourthlargestintheworld.However,muchofitwasbuiltbytheBritish,withonlyafifth
ofadditionaltrackbeingaddedafterIndependence.Sincethenhowever,thenumberofpassengershasincreasedseven
fold.Andalthoughmuchofthesystemhasbeenupgraded,fromsteamtodieselandelectricpower,railtechnology
remainsantiquatedandfrozenina19thcenturytimewarp.
Themostbasicindustrialdesignhascreatedthroughouttheworldanefficientfunctioningtraincompartmentinlight
steel,withwidepanoramicwindowsandcomfortableseatingandstorage.TheIndiantrain,bycontrast,isa
ramshacklevesselofheavygaugeclankingsteelthatraisesdustalongthecountryside,withpeoplehangingondoors
andothersperchedontheroof.Traintransportisasymbolofanunmanageablecommutingdemandinan
overpopulatedcountryaplacewherehygiene,comfort,safetystandards,orluxuryrarelyentertherequirementsof
ordinarytravel.
Insteadofaddressingthesebasicissues,theBudgetpromiseseitherpettyelectronicconveniencesoroutlandish
ambitions:bullettrainsandincreasedspeedsof200kmphonlongdistancecorridors.Aretheseevenpossibleina
countrywhereeveryinchoflandintheruralareasisthicklypopulated,asisoftennotedingrimheadlines:Six
labourerscrushedonrailtrackoffPatna?
Howthendoyouintroducenewideasintoasystemthatmustmove13millionpassengerseveryday,withoutbringing
thesystemtoahalt?Istheresomeotherformofhighspeedtransportforus,somethingbetweenthesteamengineand
thebullettrain,perhapsaformofairdynamicorundergroundservice,waitingtobeinvented?Inacountrywhere
populationdensitiesandsheernumbersdecidethefateofmostpublicenterprises,therailwaysisonlyoneofthemany
departmentsthatisdefeatedbythestatistics.
Beliefandreality
ThedefeatshowsinthelargerBudgetitself,anditsaimlessdriftintogeneralities.Itsprimaryproblemisthe
combinationanunsuremixofgrandoptimismandcautiousreality.Beyondthestandardaddressofpoverty,
inflation,ruraldevelopment,farmsectorandindustrialgrowth,theswellofmonumentalthinkingliftstheFinance
Ministersrhetoricwithfalseeffervescenceintounrealisedareas:theworldofyetunbuiltinfrastructure,the
experimentwithinternationalstandardhighways,highspeedrail,newcities,shipbuildingandports.Withouta
previousrecordinanyoftheseareas,noonecanquestionhismotives,onlyhisambition.TheBudgetbecomesan
exerciseinbuildingbelief.
Obviouslythen,suchfalsebeliefneedstobetutoredbygroundreality.EvenArunJaitleysruralthrustseemstobe
misdirectedinpromotinguselessaspiration.Nolongerthequietlowlyingmuddwellingsofthe1960sand1970s,the
urbanisationofruralclustershasledtoaseriousdeclineinvillagelife.Mostvillagesarenowbrickwalledslums
withoutdrainage,watersupplyorventilationandcloselyresembletheirdecrepitcitycousins.Thecurrentmigration
fromvillagetocityisthereforefromoneslumtoanother,andcallsforgovernmentinvestmentinserioustechnical
upgradeinhealth,sanitationandhomeconstructiontechnology,ratherthanmereelectrification.
Cityandvillage
WhenlittleremainsofruralIndia,obviouslyareturntotheGandhianmodelisimpossible.Andanyattemptsat
globalisedindustrialcorridorswillquicklydoawaywiththelastvestigesofvillagelife.Theunusuallyvastexpenseon
physicalinfrastructureneedstobereviewedinlightofavailabletechnologyandresources.NehrusIndiamayhave
requiredthephysicalinfrastructureofconnectiontothebigcity,butgiventhecurrentdissatisfactionwithrurallife
andfailedagriculturepractices,thebuildingofnewroadswillmerelyhastenthemigrationtothecity.
Intakingthecitytothevillage,thegovernmentismoreovercommittingthelargersinofculturalhomogeneity.Two
decadesearlieritwaspossibletodistinguishthecityfromthevillagetoday,botharesimilarlycongestedramshackle
slums.Adecadeearlier,itwaspossibletotellapartcitiesfromeachother:Delhi,aColonialgardensuburb,Mumbai,a
marinetown,Allahabad,acantonmentsprawl,Jaipur,asandstonecitadel.Everyoneofthemisnowcondemnedtoa
parasiticsameness.Cities,allcities,nowhavesomethingofthecharacterofwar,achargedtheatricalspectacle,an
incompletestagesetofdecayingstructures,perpetuallysmoking,smoulderingandchoking.Condemnedtothemantra
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3/4/2015

BudgetfantasyandgroundrealityTheHindu

ofgrowthatanycost,theBudgetmakesnoprovisionsforimprovingcurrentlife,nothingonurbantransport,nothing
onpollution,nothingonthecountrysdeadrivers.
Insuchadenudedsetting,itshardtotrustagovernmentperpetuallysoundingthehornofglobalaspirations:14,000
croreonroads,10,000croreonrail,70,000croreincreaseininfrastructure,another25,000croreonRural
InfrastructureDevelopmentFundforschoolsandmedicalfacilitiesintheruralareas.Impressivestatisticsaside,the
failureofmanysuchpreviousprogrammesinvillagesshouldleadthegovernmentdownanaltogetherdifferent,wholly
unconventional,path.Withoutincurringundueexpenseontheconstructionofvillageschoolsalreadywithout
teachersandtoiletfacilitiesamoreinventivehomeschoolingprogrammemaybetheanswer,wherethephysical
connectivityofroadsandtheimpossiblylongdistancesbetweenschoolandhomearereplacedbytheInternet
classroom.
Makinginnovationwork
Ofthe4.6millionkilometresofroadsinIndia,onlyhalfarepaved.Isthisanindicatorofworktobedone,orreasonto
searchforalternativeformsoftransport?Morethanever,thegovernmentsnewInnovationMissionneedstobe
directedtodifficultIndiansocial,cultural,andeconomicsituations,transporting18thcenturylivingpatternsdirectly
intothe21stcentury.Whereinnovativeideascanworkisintheabsenceofconfiningconventionalframeworks.When
ruralconnectivitycanbeachievedthroughthecomputerortheinnovationoflocaltransporttotraditionalmarkets,the
connectionofvillagesacrossfourlanehighwaysisnothingbutamisappropriationoffunds.
IfthesuccessoftheMakeinIndiaprogrammeistobelinkedtothePrimeMinistersnewapproachtopromoting
alternativesinsolarandwindenergy,theproductionofelectriccars,biotechnology,etc.thentheproposedemphasis
oninnovationmustbeginbyfirstquestioningallconventionalwisdom.Isthereabenefittolongtermexpenditureif
theprojectdoesntofferanylongtermadvantage?Ifmorecars,morebuses,morepeoplewillmakearoadsystem
obsoletein10years,couldamorenovelapproachtomovementbetried?Couldthetourismbudgetbedirectedat
innovativeplanningratherthanfollowinginternationalhotelmodels?Indeed,shouldthegovernmentattempta
mixedusecitywithoutroadsandcars,ifitdoesnthaveasolutiontothecurrentpollutedcity?
Withavastrangeofuniqueurban,rural,social,engineeringsituations,theIndianstateanditssupportingprivate
entrepreneurialpartnerhavestoodonthesidelinesforhalfacenturyandwatchedhelplesslyasothersraceacrossthe
finishline.Now,theModigovernmentoffersanewperspective:ifwearesecondrate,theimportantthingistoachieve,
evenifbyborrowedmeans.Allthevariousmodelsofinfrastructurehighways,bullettrains,smartcities,BRTs
havebeentestedlongenoughinChina,Japan,Canada,Colombiaandelsewheretomakethemfoolproofapplications
inIndia.Whatstandsinthewayisthemanageablehurdleofculture,traditionandsomeforeignresources.Andahard
selltosomeangryfarmerswhoselivelihoodistobewhiskedawayfrombeneaththeirfeet.
Atonetime,Indiaspovertyandfabledrichesdefineditsrelationshipwiththeworld.Now,itssecondrate,copycat
statuswillmakeitatrulyglobalplayer.
(GautamBhatiaisanarchitectandsculptor.)
Whenruralconnectivitycanbeachievedthroughthecomputerortheinnovationoflocaltransport
totraditionalmarkets,theconnectionofvillagesacrossfourlanehighwaysisnothingbuta
misappropriationoffunds.
Beyondthestandardaddressofpoverty,farmsectorandindustrialgrowth,theswellof
monumentalthinkingliftstheBudgetsrhetoricwithfalseeffervescenceintounrealisedareas:the
worldofyetunbuiltinfrastructure,theexperimentwithinternationalstandardhighways,high
speedrail,newcities,shipbuildingandports

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