KIRAN KARNIK
I may lose a battle but I will never lose a minute, said Napoleon Bonaparte. Nowhere should his aphorism resonate more than in developing countries like India, where every moment lost counts for a great deal because we have so far to go to reach the goals of development: not just economic, but particularly in health, livelihoods and education, amongst others. Echoing the thought is the line from Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral: “To him we cannot answer ‘Tomorrow’. His name is ‘Today’.”
Yet, so much work and so many crucial projects are delayed, deadlines are missed, and there is little sense of urgency. In every city across the country, the one common sight is roads and footpaths dug up for repairs for months on end, endless dust and traffic jams due to road-broadening projects, perpetually under-construction foot overbridges (FOBs) and subways, and inexplicable delays in approvals for badly needed infrastructure.
For instance, in the much-hyped Millenium City, Gurugram — with its glass-fronted towers hosting top global companies, and apartments costing well over a hundred crore — the glitter and glamour co-exist with potholed roads that turn into rivers with an inch of rainfall, crumbling or non-existent pavements, and people darting across four lanes of traffic on signal-free roads for want of pedestrian crossings. Simple solutions like signal-controlled crossings, foot overbridges or subways take years to execute. One example is a desperately needed pedestrian subway under an extremely busy road (4,000 vehicles every 15 minutes in peak hours, and 25,000 footfalls a day). Initially planned in 2017, it received approval only in 2022; construction began in February 2023 with a completion target of 12 months. That, with the technology now available, may seem inordinately slow for a 100-metre structure, but the leisurely 12-month target has finally taken 32 months: a full eight years after it was first planned! This, in a city with a 24×7 corporate work culture, where companies sell speed of work completion to global clients as a distinctive “India advantage”.
Similar examples abound in every city. Yet, recognizing that in today’s competitive world efficiency and speed are essential core elements, governments — state and Central — promote ease of doing business (EoDB), Gati Shakti, single-window clearances, etc. Where, amidst this, are reforms in urban governance which accelerate approvals, processes and execution; end buck-passing and finger-pointing amongst multiple agencies; pinpoint responsibility after delegating authority and funds? The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), responsible for the Delhi Metro, has a reputation for efficiency, smooth and quick execution. How long might it have taken them to make a 100-metre tunnel for the subway crossing in Gurugram, using a boring machine? Or some other efficient agency with technological capability? One reads with unabashed envy about the speed with which China executes major public works. The high-speed rail link from Shanghai to Beijing, about 1,300 km, was completed in three years, back in 2011. The Ahmedabad to Mumbai (about half that distance) ‘bullet train’ project began in 2021 (a decade later). With the advances in technology and Japanese assistance, it should have been at least as quick. However, it is scheduled for completion only in six years — in 2027.
In moving faster, technology can be a great enabler. At a basic level, it facilitates coordination amongst multiple agencies so that roads are not dug up (and then badly repaired) every few weeks by one or the other agency for water or sewage pipes, electric or optical-fibre cable ducts, etc. Technology can ensure that repairs are both quick and well executed — for example, by measuring the smoothness of the road surface. It can also speed up construction in a major way. Data analysis and modelling can determine the optimum location for a pedestrian crossing and find the most cost-effective solution (traffic signal, human control, FOB, subway). Of course, this will require a policy about priority between vehicles and pedestrians. It must also consider the effect on accidents, air pollution, and the consumption of fuel/energy.
Newer technologies, using sensors, cameras, and AI can monitor traffic flows and predict points of congestion. It can find alternative routes and GenAI can be integrated with this to automatically send out messages suggesting these well before people get stuck in jams. Tech can also be used to develop optimal bus routes, using data about roads, traffic patterns, number and points of origin/destination of bus commuters, fuel consumption, carbon footprint, and economics.
Use of imagery — from drones, aircraft, or satellites — and geographical information systems can collect and integrate this data about terrain, natural flows, buildings and obstructions with drainage capacity, expected rainfall amount and intensity, to develop models for predicting which areas/roads will be flooded. This can be used to facilitate preventive action and forewarn people. The future will be shaped by how well we can integrate various elements — data collected from sensors on the ground and in drones, aircraft or satellites — with other data to evolve models that can be used for prediction, and advance actions for mitigation.
Through all this, tech can be a major force in specifically hastening the completion of projects at optimal cost and, more broadly, in improving the quality of life. However, the two crucial starting points need to be a review and redesign of processes and organizational structure. The latter must look also at the macro issue of delegation and devolution to local bodies, so that the functions, functionaries and finances are made available, in keeping with the Constitutional provision identifying this as the third tier of governance (beyond Centre and states).
These are essential initiatives to reverse the rapid decay we see around us. The good news is that far greater citizen awareness and media attention (including individual posts on social media) are bound to drive political leaders in the direction of decentralization and devolution, a necessary first step towards making our cites liveable.
Kiran Karnik is a public policy analyst, author, and columnist. His most recent book is ‘Decisive Decade: India 2030, Gazelle or Hippo’.