[sustran] Fwd: Re: Banaglore-Mysore Highway/India/Sustran

[Paul Barter]

[This message from Priya Salvi and Kisan Mehta also did not get through
- It was too long because of HTML formatting.  Plain text is best for
sustran-discuss. Also, it is best to try not to include all of the
previous messages to which you are replying. If necessary, just include
the few lines that are relevant.
Anyway, forwarding now (minus the html code and minus the less relevant
earlier messages at the bottom).
Paul]


-----Original Message-----
From: "kisan mehta" <kisansbc at vsnl.com>

Dear Sustran Colleagues and Mr Pendakur,

To reply to your last point first `Whatever happened to democracy=20 in
the "largest democracy into world"?' we can only say and that=20 too in
the largest democracy that demoncracy has been put up side=20 down by
the rich and the rulers. Poor people are made to suffer the=20 hardship
flowing from the facilities created or to be created for the=20 rich.
Would anybody say that a democracy sans granting equity to=20 all
citizens to the limited resources of the earth is a just society=20 to
be known as democracy?

Since the time we in India have joined or forced to join the main stream
= symbols of globalisation and free market access, do we really have=20
democracy - rule of the people for the people and by the people?=20

If the citizens were given a real free choice of what to choose, they=20
would certainly go for facilities that benefit the maximum number of=20
people and which they afford. Resources are admittedly limited. If we=20
had enough, we would have both doubling of tracks for improving the=20
speed and frequency of trains and the type of road that the cockeyed=20
public executives are planning.  We do not unfortunately resources even
= for track doubling.  This is clear from the fact even for this
doubling = the=20 state will have to borrow from financial institutions
to be paid back=20 through the contribution of the comon man.=20

Experience in Maharashtra deserves a small thought. To create Mumbai-=20
Pune Express Highway (a misnomer as only half of the distance is=20
expressway, the other half small strieet passing through overcrowded=20
towns), and put up flyovers and elevated roads, the state created=20
liquidity by cutting down budget allocations on education and health.=20
Would Pendakor still ask for modern road for the comfort of the few=20
with high illiteracy promoting high population increase and illhealth =
for=20 the majhority.  It is not sometimes even the academic choice
between=20 a road or a railway.=20

The toll collected on the Expressway hardly covers the interest
costs,=20 what to talk of other recurring costs and repatriation of the
capital = cost? =20 Govt undertaking that built the expressway is broke.
Damage to the=20 environment has not been attended to. Citizen has to
pay all the costs.=20

If railways are not efficient, strive for making them efficient. Many=20
new innovatios likeguaranteed arrival of cargo are operational. With the
doubling this service will improve, while the benefit in faster and=20
more frequent trains would also go to the cargo.  One has to see the=20
conditions in poor countries to feel the constant working of the=20
economics principle of `marginal utility'=20
   =20
We have to see that scarce resouces are used for the benefit=20 of
maximum number of people.  Best wishes.

Priya Salvi and Kisan Mehta =20
=20
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: pendakur=20
  To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org=20
  Cc: In T S Reddy ; In Sudarsanam Padam (h) ; In S L Dhingra ; In =
Ramachander Adi ; In P. K. Sikdar ; In KAVenkataram Setty ; In K. =
Sundararajan ; In Geetam Tewari ; In Dr. P. Anand ; In Cse Anil Agarwal
= ; In Cirt Sanjay Singh ; In Chrd BCS Kumar ; In Bharat Indu Singal ;
In = Avinash Sarna=20
  Sent: Monday, July 08, 2002 5:49 AM
  Subject: [sustran] Banaglore-Mysore Highway/India/Sustran


  The road between Bangalore and Mysore is a mess, both in terms of =
functional standards and quality of maintenance.  If we were to cancel =
this project, what do you do with all the truck and passenger vehicles?
= Simply saying "no" may answer one question, but does not solve the =
problem.

  The improvement of the railways, as the Chinese have done, is one =
option for a lot of passenger transport and some goods transport.  There
= are many structural problems in more freight through the railways.
Ask = the business people as why they prefer to send by "lorries" than
by = railway.  They will tell about time delays, inefficiencies, bribes,
and = theft.  Otherwise, where is the logic for sending most of the
goods by = trucks?

  While there are many environmental, resettlement, and other property =
issues that must be addressed, the simply "no" does not address the =
issues.

  One more thing.  No matter how many foreigners want to solve this =
issue and come to the defence of "no roads" and "only railways', the =
only people that can redirect the finances and the energies are the =
local people.  This would be the client governments at the national and
= state levels.

  Whatever happened to democracy in the "largest democracy into world"?

  Cheers. =20
  V. Setty Pendakur