Re: [HumJanenge] India's Dismal Progress in Infrastructure Development in Last Two Decades - Babudom is Curse for India

Dear Friends,

I am now sharing something to ponder about seriously. While corruption is rampant, the babudom incompetence is ubiquitous, a far more serious disease as it has already spread to all projects. Corruption is still uncovered through various means of whistle blowing, leaks, media etc., it is babudom incompetence which has never been even gauged leave aside discussed. The country would have eradicated poverty by now. Please read on.

Take a simple example of the current $ trillion financial outlay for the current plan, a whopping 5,000,000 Cr. Going by the past experience of 63 years, all projects have got delayed, have had twice the cost and time over runs. If we are to take the stock of all 13 five year plans, half of the financial outlay has been wasted and twice the time has been taken to complete government projects at twice the cost. All this is the direct responsibility and accountability of babudom and not politicians who come and go every five years and are shifted from one ministry to another regularly. Babus serve for their life. Let's take a theoretical scenario, if all projects get completed within the budget and time, the country would have surpassed China in economic development by now. The truth is some where in between. 50 % projects should get completed within budget and time and 50 % may have 1.5 times the budget and time over runs. India still matches China in economic development. The poverty if not fully eliminated is reduced drastically.

To summarize, while most netas are surely fooling us by their corrupt practices, babudom is the single source of incompetence and incapability being promoted day in and day out due to their zero accountability in stark contrast to babudom in China. The present practice of babudom has amply demonstrated that if country continues to vest in them the responsibility for regulations, policy, adminsitration and hardest job of execution of vital infrastructure projects, we are doomed for ever. The wisdom is to separate the regulations, policy making and administration from the hardest job of delivering projects on ground. Let the babudom (IAS and others) continue with regulation, policy making and administration but national GDP growth driving projects of roads, airports, power, aviation, health, education, agriculture, rail, transportation, telecom, e governance etc etc be never given to the babudom. Let this responsibility be taken over by what Narayanamurthy aptly calls Indian Management Service (IMS). Let the IAS be vertically split into IAS and IMS. All projects are run by professional boards with industry nominees too apart from regulation and policy representative. The direct responsibility and accountability of projects delivery will be that of IMS with separate cadre rules akin to industry executives.

Here is an opportunity. Hope our learned netas, civil society people, industry tycoons, media and most importantly, we the people, are listening and for once we all get united and give shape to this revolution in the country.

Jai Hind.

 

With warm regards,

Col Mahesh Khera

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From: R. Dua <r.dua1234@gmail.com>
To: humjanenge@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, 7 April 2012 10:12 AM
Subject: Re: [HumJanenge] India's Dismal Progress in Infrastructure Development in Last Two Decades - Babudom is Curse for India

We seem to be barking at the wrong tree here. By the way our honorable pm is also an erstwhile babu?
Maybe we are running around circles.
Regards.

On Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 10:39 AM, Mahesh Khera <mkkhera@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear Friends,

Ever wondered why India has lagged in infrastructure development since 1990 ? The real reason is not the politicians and the greedy corporate houses but the Indian babudom.

Latest, Kochi Metro, conceptualized in 2005 costing 2500 Cr has been cleared only now. The cost has escalated to 5100 Cr. The reason, babudom wanted it to be a Public Pvt Partnership PPP project. No private investor would come in any project where the ROI is not reasonable for them. Babus always want projects to come up as PPP as it gives them multiple cash cows to milk. The country can go to dogs. Babudom alone is responsible for India to lag behind China. Imagine, this is just one small tip of the iceberg, a metro project in Kochi delayed by 7 years with cost overrun of 2600 Cr. All infrastructure projects in the country are costing more than double with a delay of 5 to 7 years only due to the incompetence of babudom with no responsibility and accountability enjoying uninterrupted job and perks till 65 years of age. If even 1/100th of such callous performance was demonstrated in a private sector, the guy would be thrown out in less than a year.

Should we file RTIs to get the details of all infrastructure projects in the country like start date, end date, cost and check the status today ? I think, almost all infrastructure projects at the end of this RTI exercise would land up in courts through PILs. I am not sure whether we really have any solution.

Imagine, the honorable PM has enhanced the financial outlay for the current plan to a trllion $ or INR 5,000,000 Cr. Babudom would be responsible, as has been so since 1990, for wasting half of this outlay due to incompetence and very poor decision making and taking double the time to completion. China has hugely accountable babudom and thus is on track to be No 1 economy very soon. 

It is time we found a solution to this babudom becoming the real bane in removing the poverty in the country. Politicians are busy in milking the land and babus are busy in milking the infrastructure projects. The people of the country are taken for a ride. 

Can we the people demand babus in-charge of these projects to come on National DD and give monthly progress of these projects in an hour long program ? Can the cabinet secy voluntarily organize such monthly briefing to the people on TV by his colleagues who are in-charge of various projects ? Really, no answer indeed.

Dear honorable PM Sir, hope you are taking cognizance of these things and would take action to set things right.

 

With warm regards,

Col Mahesh Khera