India: A High-Tech Titan Plagued by Potholes

by pankaj kumar | August 25, 2010 at 07:00 pm

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Infrastructure is the main concerne for the india ,the country is well known for their poor infrastructure management,lack of highway ,trafic jam,lack of electricity and red tapism is the main hurdal for the country.Government massive investment through direct investment and public private partnership is improving the infrastructure of the country but the progress is slow and unsatisfactory.This senareo is putting extra pressure on the devoloped urban agglomerates like Mumbai,Delhi,Bangalore,Channai etc.

Despite this nation’s rise as a technology titan with some of the world’s best engineering minds, India’s full economic potential is stifled by potholed roadways, collapsing bridges, rickety railroads and a power grid so unreliable that many modern office buildings run their own diesel generators to make sure the lights and computers stay on.

It is not for want of money. The Indian government aims to spend $500 billion on infrastructure by 2012 and twice that amount in the following five years.

The problem is a dearth of engineers — or at least the civil engineers with the skill and expertise to make sure those ambitious projects are done on time and up to specifications.

Civil engineering was once an elite occupation in India, not only during the British colonial era of carving roads and laying train tracks, but long after independence as part of the civil service. These days, though, India’s best and brightest know there is more money and prestige in writing software for foreign customers than in building roadways for their nation.