At over 33 lakh km, it has the second largest road network in the world. Its 63,000 km long railway network is the most extensive in Asia, the second largest under a single management in the world. Aircraft manufacturers say it has a potential to add 1,100 more jets worth over $105 billion over the next 20 years.

That’s India now, 60 years after independence. A nation galvanised into motion with the emergence of a vibrant transport sector that is bridging distances and driving economic growth. A growth that will be powered by thousands of km of swift expressways and highways, high-speed rail networks and dedicated freight corridors, internationally comparable ports and an aviation business that is soaring to new highs.

A rosy future, but one that has for long had its wings clipped by the lethargies of public utilities and the hangover of a colonial past. India’s road sector is a case in point. When the British left the country in 1947, they left behind a mere 4 lakh km of roads that connected major industrial centres and metros, while ignoring rural areas. Hence, the strategy for road development adopted at that time was a two-pronged — improve connectivity and provide infrastructure that supported industrialisation.

However, resources were scant and the two goals became mutually conflicting. The solution was to provide both at the cost of starving both. The price was poor planning and poorer quality, with the result that roads were frequently ripped open to enable expansion. “The major change in road development came when the NHAI was constituted in1988,” says KL Thapar, director, Asian Institute of Transport Development and a former Planning Commission member. “With the emergence of a national road authority, the arbitrariness and lack of standardisation caused due to public work department (PWD) handling of road projects reduced a lot.”

... contd.