Mega Developments in India

[TPMB4]

Just wondered what people thought of the development corridors being talked about in India. There is the Delhi (New) to Mumbai and the Mumbai to Bangalore. The first one is supposed to be significantly financed by Japan and is based around a lot oif Japanese global companies.

The second one I was reading about (and more interested in) was the one being developed with British interests. It is from Mumbai up through the Automotive hub of Pune to Bangalore (which I believe is the high tech hub in India).

It all sounds like a development plan by the central government and seems all good but is it? Will it suck investment from other areas or cause it's own problems with housing and healthcare shortages in development areas.

Also will it happen????

AFAIK thge Japanese inward investment has crept back to 2017 and the British one is at the very early stages. Is it a case of nice idea but will get buried in beaurocracy?? Hope not.

BTW I thank India a lot as it invested in Jaguar LandRovervia parent company. It's now a going concern again after the Ford years (sorry America but it's true).

 

[Ajit Basrur]

The link to the "mega" development is - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f16ce936-79b5-11e2-9015-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2LHrjyvoZ

Pls note the following from the article ...

However, the Delhi-Mumbai project has been dogged by bureaucratic difficulties and delays since it was announced in 2006. Its delivery date has been pushed back to 2017 at the earliest, leading to doubts that the new Indo-British venture could be speedily completed.

Besides, there are lots of other concerns too ... hope it gets through as planned

 

[TPMB4]

Is the beaurocracy a hang up from pre-independence by any chance or down to post-independence governments build it up?

Mind you in the UK we'd probably take longer than 11 years to do anything as close to that scale with our planning laws. There was a pipe dream to create a bridge across part of Morecambe Bay to stimulate industry in the SW tip of Cumbria (Barrow to Heysham), complete with tidal power generation in some spans. Then you have bypasses that have been talked, planned and designed for 10 years without action despite a strong need and business benefit for it.

I think if the first corridor does get done by 2017 your nation will have done well.

 

[Chennaiite]

We are confronted with Parliament Election in 2014, a threat that can slow down the progress, and not to mention land disputes, state disputes, political conspiracy, corruption, Farmer sentiments, agriculture issue, Communism, etc, that are not uncommon. There is a huge list of hurdles that a development project often has to overcome. To expect in just 4 years down the line is seriously a hope against hope in my view.

 

[TPMB4]

What is the level of corruption these days in India? I am only asking because of our Prime Minister's visit to India this week getting widely reported that the Indian Prime Minister kind of rebuked him about corruption in the Agusta/Westland helicopter contract.

Well perhaps rebuke is strong but at least Prime Minister of India requested the UK government look into it and help them investigate it. I don't know if you are aware of that story.

I'm sure there are lists and indices of level of corruption somewhere but I do wonder how India compares against other countries. I hope this post does not offend but I suspect it is slightly worse than the UK but a lot better than it used to be.

 

[TPMB4]

If you are interested

From 2012
http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/

2002 - http://archive.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2002

UK has dropped down the rankings as has India in those 10 years. Although I suspect it is we have stood still but others have improved leaving us to drop down the rankings.

That organisation does seem to make a huge deal about corruption. Makes out it is a major factor in poverty and other issues like gap between the wealthiest and the poorest.

 

[Chennaiite]

What is the level of corruption these days in India? I am only asking because of our Prime Minister's visit to India this week getting widely reported that the Indian Prime Minister kind of rebuked him about corruption in the Agusta/Westland helicopter contract.

Well perhaps rebuke is strong but at least Prime Minister of India requested the UK government look into it and help them investigate it. I don't know if you are aware of that story.

I'm sure there are lists and indices of level of corruption somewhere but I do wonder how India compares against other countries. I hope this post does not offend but I suspect it is slightly worse than the UK but a lot better than it used to be.

No offence there and reality should not offend. As a matter of fact, corruption is the much talked about concern in India over the last 2 years. Every time we switch on television for a news channel, it's not unusual to find the anchor chewing some or other corruption charges with a set of politicians. It’s invariably a blame game; one who blames gets blamed in some other issue. Chopper scam involving Agusta Westland is merely one of them and I am not sure to what extent we can seek details from the British PM and I am sure it will be forgotten sooner or later. The politicians are skilled in playing to the gallery and I doubt the government would have intended a probe, if not for that verdict in Italy.

Personally, I feel it’s also unfair to blame politicians alone; there are bureaucrats and even a common man contributes by being the beneficiary. The irony is whenever agitations happen against corruption, some (or many) of them who participate in the cause also entertains corruption in many ways. I also could see that corruption charges sometimes have negative effect on governance. I mean the politicians hesitate in taking decisions on some key developments fearing possible corruption charges. Why wouldn’t they, even if the faintest of allegations comes, the guy already is the criminal in the eyes of media and opposition party. I guess it happens everywhere, perhaps on a smaller scale.

 

[TPMB4]

Corruption in some countries is a way of life, almost the way those at the top stay there I sometimes think. In Europe I think you'd say Italy was one of the most guilty but Britain has had its scandals. Libor, BAE Systems (allegedly bribing Saudis to beat the Americans to win the Al Yammamah order which was one of the biggest in history of British overseas sales).

I kind of wondered about the "request for help" from your PM to ours. I had a feeling it was part of some political game of football. Kind of deflecting something on to the next. A game of tag if you like. One thing for sure,we will never find out all the corruption as it is endemic. We'd all be at it too if we could I'm sure!!