Making modern infrastructures

Big plans are being made by our Ministers now. Whether they would work out or not depends on the changing the structures of our organisation and the speedy implementation of the plans.There are going to be new airports in Mumbai, Goa, sea-ports in states of  Andra Pradesh and West Bengal, and a bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Infrastructures are important for the growth of the economy is obvious. How to make infrastructures fast is the question. New projects have been announced. More power plants to generate electricity will be made. If concrete measures are not taken, to make speedy movement of files and streamlining of procedures, they will be delayed. CAG reports that there have been there have been unrealistic budgeting and insufficient pre-budget scrutiny of schemes. And these misappropriations have resulted in under-utilisation of funds and at some others depletion of funds allocated. At the end of the financial year, they make up statement indicating poor planning, execution, and total mismanagement. Expenditures were made up, as indicated by big spending  at the last quarter of the financial year.Generally, expenditures are over-estimated to seek supplementary grant. On last accounting day of the financial year, there is much activity to “show” expenditures. Budgetary control has to be strengthened. Supplementary allocation of funds should be made by reassessment, after showing correlation between expenditures and resulted anticipated. Revenue loss cannot be estimated. Irregularities in concessions and exemptions cannot be assessed. Without good procedural framework, and re-structured organisations, making of projects for infrastructures is futile. Thus pushing through projects will not help.
Gap is widening from planning stage to implementation stage. Our ministers go on planning, and results will be dealt with by another regime (party) after the next elections. So there is no commitment in planning itself. And many of the ambitions are not realisable. Plans are flawed; cost of ticket of a bullet train would be more than cost of air-fare for the same distance. Then where is the need of the super fast train? To make ultra modern airport, we need land. There are unresolved issues like land acquisition, and land bill is still pending in the Parliament.Environmental clearance is stalled because of policy paralysis. Proposals are there for new airports in second tier cities.Are we making castles in the air?