Politicians universally enjoy terrible reputation. As a class they are widely considered synonymous with sleaze and scam. Not a day passes without someone in some part of the country ferreting out tales of wrongdoing by politicians. Whether they are local, municipal-level or operate at the state or central levels, our 'netas' without doubt have a rotten public image . And deservedly so.
However, thanks to their negative image, the rare politician who hasn't got his hand in the public till, who is not corrupt, is never noticed, never credited for his dogged determination not to turn public service into a virtual gravy train for self and his extended family and circle of friends. Admittedly, there are quite a few decent individuals who have not used politics for self-aggrandisement. Since this column invariably focuses on politician's acts of omission and commission, mostly the latter, in a welcome break it now seeks to celebrate the quiet efficiency and honesty of a rare politician who is saddled with a project which could well change the face of India by knitting it together with first rate motorways.
The politician in question is Maj. Gen. (Retd.) B. C. Khanduri. The Minister of State with independent charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has gone about his task without seeking any publicity. Road-building bring a dreary chore, nobody from the media or the political class has cared to focus on Khanduri's ministry. But the Minister himself has been single-minded in devoting all his time and energies to the construction of what has come to be called the Golden Quadrilateral which will link Delhi-Bombay-Kolkata-Chennai with a first class multi-lane highway. Besides, there will be a corridor of roads running end-to-end through east to west and north to south.
Estimated to cost over Rs.60,000 crores, Khanduri's ministry has already forked out contracts for over Rs.25,000 crores so far to private parties for the construction of the Golden quadrilateral and other secondary network of road. And the reason why this column here notes his achievements is that though nearly 150 private contractors, both Indian and foreign, have been assigned the job to construct to eight-, six- and four lane roads, no one has questioned the honesty of the tendering process resulting in the award to the most deserving parties. In short, the entire process of tendering has been fair, just and transparent, a far cry from the usual routine when hanky-panky is the rule rather than the exception. Khanduri himself has maintained a low profile, never seeking publicity for self or his Ministry.
The network of roads being laid under the Golden quadrilateral and Corridor schemes now under construction will result in multi-faceted benefits to Indians, besides providing a great fillip to the national economy. The Delhi-Jaipur toll road, already commissioned, can match the next in the world, though the problem of stray animals and unruly motorists from the adjoining villages dampens really fast driving on the eight-lane express-way. The Golden quadrilateral is likely to be commissioned by the end of the year. And will be one of the high points of the NDA's campaign when it goes back to the people for a fresh mandate in late 2004.
Thirty per cent more for roads
Of course nothing in this life comes free. Yes, even the countrywide network of roads now under construction. In order to raise funds, a novel scheme was already in place under which a cess of Rupee one was slapped on each litre of petrol and diesel. Since the road-building project is in over-drive, there is now a proposal to hike that charge by at least thirty per cent. In other words, after next month's annual budget every time you fill up your tank with petrol or diesel, you will contribute Re.one and thirty paise towards the construction of brand new roads. In terms of smooth and hassle-free driving, no motorist ought to grudge the contribution.
Congress's new these song:
"Hum Hindu Hain"
Will someone please tell the Congress
Party bosses not to make a complete laughing stock of themselves.
The party of Sonia Gandhi does not seem to have recovered from the Gujarat-induced
stupor. Post-Gujarat, they first made a scapegoat of Maharashtra Chief
Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and sent packing. And in Madhya Pradesh
overnight, the hitherto sensible sounding Digvijay Singh has taken to swearing
his allegiance to Hindu dharma at the drop of a hit. Worse, we have
it on authority of one of his ministerial colleagues that he regularly
drinks cow's urine. Clearly, these public avowals of faith in Hindu
religion are meant to ward off the temporal threat from the opposition
BJP in the State elections due later this year. Meanwhile in the
neighbouring Rajasthan even though they have spared the axe for the time
being against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the PCC Chief Girija Vyas has
been served the quit notice. A search for a suitable Jat is on to replace
her. But Gehlot is not fully safe. That may be why he has taken
to attending public discourses on Lord Rama.