Infrastructure and neglected intellectual capital....
Dear Shri Sondhi Saheb,
As usual rich in data , safe in offering opinions, well presented like our typical railway meal, which has all ingredients but lacks the cutting edge to break away from known rut and do some thing out of box.
The key sentence which guides the approach is "learning from past and adopting best global practices.." in preface summarizes the report.
One fundamental consultants' failure is discounting human intellect, who can find alternate schemes and models to solve problems when really pushed to do the impossible.
Risk averse sterile reports require to be professional and safe; that is what we get.
I am not impressed. I also know it matters little that I am not impressed.
Wish they added one chapter trying to visualise technology breakthroughs on the horizon, the probability of their reaching reality, and the impact of the same on the solutions.
If India has to solve the emerging problems with the past experience of others over the last 100 years alone, and not with technology-leap-frogging in to different paradigm, we are doomed.
Actually they should try to prepare a similar report about the crumbling infrastructure of USA, where it is already strained, and with 100 million to be added in a decade, nightmarish scenario is emerging and there is no one making strategic investment plans. If they have to follow their own "best practices", what kind of investments can make it possible will be an interesting scene, 10 times more serious than that of India.
It is the need of the hour to break out of the paradigm of past practice etc and trying to minimise losses in current inefficient logistic models, while looking for investments to do the same old practice at higher costs, while at the same time pronouncing, that what we are going to do will save costs.. a kind of circular argument.
Comments on governance deficit etc are perhaps common to all societies, it is done more sophisticatedly in USA, and less so in India and as much in China. Humans are same all over.
It was in 2004 that as key note address to national Indian Engineers convention in Mumbai, I was given opportunity . Likes of Nandan Nilekani too gave such address in the same convention, one day later, and on the day given to me almost 2000 members of Institution of Engineers from all over India were present at Hyatt. For me it was a responsibility with great honour ( though not as a great man as Nandan) ,but used it to say how human intellect as capital can totally change our time scales and magnitude as well complexity of a problem of the society . it actually can do so many orders more effectively than current obsession with innovation in making investment /funding models based on structured debts, camouflaged in many forms, but ultimately the buck comes back to be dealt with.
As an example and a model to work out providing infrastructure to give practically low cost but high quality housing, transport and shelter ,practically at low investment with ample returns, was made and presented by me in my humble position. I have no reputation to lose like McKinsey , my detractors may say. But I do value my right to say what I think.
The paper was printed and circulated and though I feel the standing ovation I received could be a mere politeness to me, while I do not regard myself to have that kind of status to get one, some applause could be for the approach presented, could be the moment carried them. I was inspired at that time.
At the risk of being accused of boasting, ( may be an iota of truth could be there, because as wise say, great people remain silent, and any way I do not consider myself great), I feel a small engineer like me can think, I am unable to accept this black hole approach of such major consultancy think tanks producing rehashed reports like this.
If some one feels like bashing me, this upstart, I do not mind... the paper ref link I give so that you may enjoy the same-- that is bashing me. ( I think RITES Journal under Editor Late MR Ray published some extracts too-- after my retirement!!!)
Indian Engineering Congress 2004 Dr Khosla Lecture
My anguish is as a community we are killing the intellectual capital of the country in particular and in the world in general, with too much professionally sanitized, risk averse reports just treading the beaten paths, however glossy the covers may be and flowery the English.
A single chapter to cover emerging alternatives which can cause a paradigm shift to infrastructure development is what is sorely missing.
The problem is it requires technical innovation inputs and most of the current thought leaders are either finance or management gurus who limit themselves to their known areas to find solutions-- one exception to this being late Prof. Prahlad CK ( who met me , a small guy, but took interest in my work, is that the reason for my liking him???)-- who did emphasize on technology opening a new window of opportunity. and valuing local talent and innovation.
I do pray that our human race starts thinking on new lines to meet emerging challenges both in human interactions and living in as much as making living a happy experience, and not become a derivative of DCF.
Regards
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