Nerve Endings Firing Away

On lines of what Ravikiran writes about Bangalore’s crumbling infrastructure, a similar scenario has been playing itself on the other ‘great’ Indian city, Bombay (now Mumbai). The lights on the glittery billboards that advertise everything from cell phones to movies have been shut off. I called home last night and my mom complained about the frequent power outrages. Load shedding had always been a part of our lives although we lived only few miles from Bombay’s uninterrupted power supply, thanks to the corruptible MSEB, whose engineers only shrugged their shoulders blaming the villagers who ‘stole our power’. Bombay always remained the greener pasture on the other side of the creek.

Things seem to have changed now, especially after the Maharashtra government was preoccupied with closing down Chandni Bars and protecting our fragile morality. A bigger problem — 100 crores a day — was in the meantime lurking behind the glitzy glamour. The effects of Enron’s unceremonious exit are only too evident now.

Although Enron had indulged in dubious business, they were supposed to fill a much-needed power gap in Maharashtra and the government was sent scampering to look for another alternative. The other alternative never came as Maharashtra faces a 4,000 MW power shortage and the wannabe Shanghai dreams are looking more like nightmares now. No state can ever dream of harboring any super power-esque dreams if they can’t provide a simple and basic utility like power. Power is taken for granted by so-called super powers and wannabe super powers most definitely spruce up their infrastructure first. Short-term gains, like being at the favorable end of outsourcing phenomenon won’t last long if we can’t power up our computers and manufacturing units.

This brings us to an important question. Has India ridden the wave of outsourcing boom without paying attention to its crumbling infrastructure? Benign weather will only take Bangalore as far before its traffic snarls catch up and make commuting a living hell and drive out the biggies that it is currently attracting. Seen in one PWD office with a vision — America’s roads are good not because America is rich; America is rich because America’s roads are good. Too bad this basic understanding is not widespread among government offices. The infrastructural backbone will always remain an important part of a region/nation’s economic development aspirations.

Super power dreams aside, power outrages first incites local passions that see people resort to age-old traditions of bestowing garlands of slippers to cowering government employees. It is the infrastructure, stupid.

Update: Will this ever see the light of the day? I certainly hope so. I have seen grander but nevertheless efficient plans lie in dust on MMRDA tables.