There are times when modesty must be set aside and we have no hesitation in taking credit for Prime Minister Vajpayee’s realism on the National Highway programme. In response to the series of news reports in the Indian Express drawing attention to the slow pace of the National Highway Development Project (NHDP), the prime minister reportedly called for a review and re-setting of target dates. The government has postponed by a year the target date for completion of the project’s first phase. It will now be December 2004, rather than 2003, for the completion of the Golden Quadrilateral, involving four-laning of highways between the four metros, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The minister for road transport and highways, B.C. Khanduri, was quite correct in stating that the original deadline was 2004 and that it had been brought forward by an year in the hope that the project would proceed at a faster pace.The government’s new realism will be welcomed by all those who believe in delivering what is promised, rather than displaying excessive bravado. Part of the reason for the delay has to do with land acquisition problems in some states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa. Moreover there are law and order issues in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The minister has claimed that tendering procedures specified by the World Bank have also slowed things up. However, none of the above factors are new or unexpected. They should have been factored into any realistic planning.There is of course great merit in meeting ambitious deadlines. It boosts national morale and fosters people’s commitment. Hence, we are not against setting difficult targets. But realism is also advisable because inability to attain targets can also demoralise and engender complacency. As a nation we have become used to a lack of punctuality. When there is no punctuality in daily work, how can it be ensured in such large projects? It is perhaps a realisation of such factors that prompted Vajpayee to demand greater realism in setting the deadline for the project. The government must now work full tilt to ensure that this target is met, even though its term ends before the deadline. The highway project is Prime Minister Vajpayee’s great showpiece and he deserves full credit for pushing it through. The success of such a project also testifies to the good working relationship he has been able to ensure between the Centre and state governments. While the Golden Quadrilateral will still not match the best highways in the world, it will set a new standard for infrastructure development. The NHDP should also encourage state governments to pay greater attention to state and local roads. Roads are the sinews of a modern economy and there is a strong correlation between road development and economic growth and welfare.
