Priorities for public spending

Everyday as I drive from home to work I cross the stretch of road near the foot of the Savitri cinema flyover in South Delhi. Daily I wonder why after such revolutionary leaps in road building technologies is that part of the road so uneven, potholed and bumpy.

My civil engineer colleagues, who I thought should know better, usually give the explanation of inferior quality of raw materials being used. The civic authorities come up with the novel explanation that the plants to make hot bituminous mix are located too far away from the city, as per Supreme Court (SC) guidelines which means to the mix gets laid at a much cooler temperature than desired and this leads to the prevailing situation. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would like to paint the SC as the villain of the piece for its insistence that Delhi residents get a less polluted air to breathe. According to the MCD the residents of Delhi have only one choice – Poor carcinogenic air to breathe or lousy roads.

No one seems to have an answer to my next query. If the choice is so simple then how is it that the entire length of roads is not so bad and only patches are rotten? And why are the roads in and around the city center viz. Connaught Place, India Gate, Parliament House and Jan Path so much better? Obviously these places are at a much greater distance from the hot mix plants, which are located outside town.

We as a nation have convinced ourselves that our politicians are superior beings and deserve the best that modern technology offers. The lesser mortals can simply go to hell. We have come to believe collectively that these suckers, who have no choice but to have their incomes taxed at source and very little chance to evade taxes, have no right to drive on good roads. The politicians most of whom are accused of rioting, looting, arson, many times rape and even murder have a birth right to good roads so that their imported luxury SUVs and latest brands of highly prized sedans can take them to state assemblies and to Parliament in total comfort.

Till this set of notions change we are doomed to drive lousily built Indian cars on lousy roads. When the cars break down we are doomed to shoddy service at ill-equipped workshops and have ourselves cheated by some manufacturer of spurious motor parts, who has even forgotten when he last paid any VAT or income tax but lives in a beautiful mansion in a swish South Delhi neighborhood which would obviously have much better roads.

Our people have to understand that Quality is not an accident. It is an outcome of sincere and hard work over long period of time. It is something you achieve when you tell yourself that I have paid the price so I am entitled to what I seek. I am not going to settle for anything that is second best. It is only when a vast majority of Indians cultivate this kind of value system that the ‘Made in India’ label would become a hallmark of quality. It s only then that the 14 km. Ride to my office would be a smooth and comfortable one.