Undergraduate economics teaches the importance of roads in economic developmet and growth. Economists' turnpike theorems seeks to establish faster roads to economic progress. In Bengal left-thinking fashioed economists for decades rejoice with Panchyati Raj and Land reforms as roads to economic progress and economic justice for three decades. Little did they realise that even in conceptualising/ designing and implementing panchyati raj, economists' optimisation rule is applicable. We now see West Bengal in the quagmire of weal economic growth impulses with panchyati raj and land reforms throwing out the communist dominated leftists rule and expose the hurdles that the 34 year- rule of economic stupidity resuting in nearly bankrupt State finances, road pot holes and vast tracts on unsed/ under-utilised with weak links for movement of inputs and outputs throughout the State/ Weal links created the hill agitation problem and Maoist terrorism in the Jungles areas while Tata's unwilling to set up Nana project on only multiple cropping high fertile lands with good links in Singur and no where else and JSW steel plant waiting for good road inks to accelerate implementation of its Steel plant in Salboni. Panchyats developed roads that are too muddy for villagers on foot to be comfortable with and highways including the recent 4/6 lane ones not allowing uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic by numerous crossings and encroament of hman beings and animals from either side of the roads to regulate long distance vehicular speed to raise the costs of economic activity.
Dr. Abhirup Sarkar, a Bengali economists known for application of economic analysis to West Bengal in recent times has today penned an article on Roads in West Bengal. The conclusions are revealing of the incomptence of the elite that planned and ruled West Bengal for over three dces since 1977:
1. West Bengal has one of the longest network of roads given its size in the India. But West Bengal remains a weakly linked State in terms of the quality of roads.
2. The proportion of good, durable roads is low in West Bengal as compared to more developed States in the country.
3. Large tracts of non-agricultural land awaits good road links to attract industries.
4. Many good roads connecting existing industries to cities, ports, railway junctions and markets are good enough to nurse potholes and congestion.
5. Panchayat developed roads are horrible to negotiate on automobile wheels and do not together constitue an optimal road network for efficient economic activity.
At last, West Bengal seems to have been provided a clue as to what not to do in respect of road development. Let us see what Mamata Government can do to draw up a road map for optimal road development in West Bengal. Can Mamata remove the inherited roads block to accelerated economic growth in West Bengal?
She must be aware thata significant proportion of the good, wide roads in West Bengal are used by long queues of trucks, buses and cars for repair works on wayside auto-repair shops, parking of motorbykes, hawkers, open warehouses of sellers of construction materials and etc - a usage of roads that slows vehicular traffic, transfers private costs to public costs of transportation, congestion and pollution. Govt. spend tax payers' money not to benefit the citizens in general but to private encroachers. Some how Bengali economists are not yet ready to to identify private misuse of of public roads as a bottleneck to economic growth in West Bengal. If West Bengal has to really change, the habit of encroachment of public roads for private use by small businessnesses and their poorly paid workers must go - sooner the better.
No comments:
Post a Comment