The infrastructural gap in Northeast India

Jyotishmita Baruah

( She can be reached at baruahjyoti1999@gmail.com)

Infrastructure is one of the greatest boons to mankind. Infrastructure development is the construction of basic foundational services in order to stimulate economic growth and quality of life improvement. Defining it at the grassroots level, "Infrastructure is the set of fundamental facilities and systems that support the sustainable functionality of households and firms". Regardless of the fact how important proper infrastructure is for the all-around development of the nation, India's infrastructure is simply not good enough to facilitate the expansion of the manufacturing sector or meet the needs of a rapidly increasing middle class. The business community has continuously cited poor infrastructure as the biggest constraint towards improving economic growth and corporate performance. For any development to happen, the land and infrastructure connectivity are the basic needs. The root cause for the poor state of Indian infrastructure is the low spending on this in India. Discussing India's Northeast region which has nine per cent of India's geographical area and contributes three per cent to the country's GDP, the infrastructural development is still progressing at a very lazy pace despite the fact that NER has the potential to become a powerhouse "globally". Surrounded by international borders, infrastructure development-both internal and international could be the best choice for inclusive development in India's northeast. International infrastructure, which is also termed connectivity, may help the NER to become more economically engaged with the neighbouring countries. The miserable condition of infrastructure in the region demands serious attention. The massive proliferation of infrastructural interventions has affected the youth in India's Northeast in complex ways, influencing their migration from, return to and lived realities in the region. Additionally, the Act East Policy proposes the development of the infrastructure of the region by building roads and highways, expansion of air connectivity, an extension of railway networks, opening trade routes, as well as creating infrastructural conditions for border trade. These have all but put the Northeast region on an infrastructural expansionist fast track. Most of the Ministry of Urban Development flagship schemes have been focusing on the region. Nine cities from across the Northeast region have been declared as 'Smart Cities'– Agartala, Guwahati, Imphal, Kohima, Namchi, Gangtok, Pasighat, Itanagar and Aizawl. A fund of Rs 14,124 crore for 464 projects has been sanctioned in the first phase as part of the Smart City Mission in the Northeastern region. In essence, a policy thrust like this means a lot of bridges, highways, rails, roads and airports. What does this high level of infrastructural expansion do to the region, which is mired in contradictions of conflict and transition? The critical task is to assess the foundational doctrine on which the rationale of such 'developmental interventions' is premised. Poor transport connectivity in the Northeast is one of many reasons for its regional backwardness. The infrastructural growth has also come to a very pathetic condition in the government-run schools, colleges, hospitals, offices etc. People are devoid of the basic standards of living which is the saddest part. Over 6,000 schools across India do not have a building, according to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) Report for the year 2019-20. According to the report, 6,465 schools do not have a building, 35 buildings are dilapidated, while the buildings of 4,417 schools are under construction. The UDISE+ report provides detailed statistics on the infrastructure and facilities available at schools across the country. Poor building conditions such as leaking toilets, smelly cafeterias, broken furniture, classrooms that are too hot or cold, mouldy walls and plaster falling off ceilings make students feel negatively about school norms and expectations, a new study has found.

This negative perception of the school's social climate contributes to high absenteeism. In turn, that contributes to low-test scores and poor academic achievement. The lack of adequate systems and infrastructure for prevention and control in many healthcare facilities in India is leading to hospital-associated infections and the spread of drug-resistant bacteria putting millions at risk, the Union government has admitted in a study published in British Medical Journal (BMJ). The NE region has been meagrely represented in the parliament resulting in poor representation of the problems and issues of the people of the region. There is a lack of capable leaders from the region who can voice grievances and the problems effectively in the parliament. The politicians of the region are highly corrupt and they had never cared to work for the development of infrastructure, most industrial houses cite poor roads and connectivity as the prime reason for the lack of investment in NE.

This gap has been widening at an alarming rate and to maintain equilibrium in the socio-economic balance of the country, adequate measures need to be taken. This presentation also highlights some of the case studies on the infrastructural gap and how we can mitigate the issue. This presentation also focuses on the future of the citizens who lack proper basic infrastructure and the issues concerning it. We also discuss the construction of new top tier monuments, bridges, malls etc and how justifiable it is. In this context, we also discuss the fact that infrastructure is not just expanded to the basic facilities, services and installations but the great infrastructural gap also comes from the lack of technology and human infrastructure. Inequality in access to the Internet and ICT is known as the digital divide and affects 52% of women and 42% of men worldwide. This gap becomes even wider when we talk about regions. It is important to distinguish between access to the Internet and digital literacy, that is, the learning process that enables a person to acquire the skills to understand and benefit from the educational, economic and social potential of the new technologies. For remote Northeast India, digital learning remains a challenge and this leads to the infrastructural gap. Development has eluded the entire NE Region for so many years, even after 75 years of independence the infrastructure is simply pathetic in the region due to the neglect by the Central Government as well as due to the lack of collective efforts among the people of the Northeast.

As already mentioned, proper infrastructure is a necessity for mankind and hence every citizen of the democracy must have access to it. We, the citizens of the region, must stand and speak up for ourselves regarding the basic necessities of infrastructure in all spheres and draw the attention of the government if they are unaware of it. The government must also take the issue of the infrastructural gap as a matter of serious concern and work for it with utmost importance. Funds for the construction purposes must be utilized in a correct manner and proper vigilance of the work must be done. Further, within the NER, there exist considerable inter-state variations in the availability of these infrastructural facilities. Since infrastructure development is inextricably related to economic progress, much needs to be done in terms of the provision of economic infrastructure in the NER so that it comes at least at par with the all India position. At all levels (local, state, and national) we cannot continue to build new bridges and highways, public buildings, etc. while neglecting to provide proper maintenance for those that were built 20 to 150 years ago. Money saved by scrimping on maintenance of older facilities, in the long run, ends up costing the taxpayers more money! It will be unfair to pass the onus of blame entirely on the Central Government. Should we expect the Central Government and improve roads in the districts, states etc., which are under the purview of the PWD/State Government? There should be an awakening among us to pressurize the Government on various issues, apply RTI etc., and highlight the issues through effective forums. The media has never been fair in terms of depicting the problems of the region, they seem to concern more about TRPs than doing justice to the helpless people of the Northeast. The region is plagued with myriad problems, geographical isolation, insurgency, internal conflicts amongst various groups and illegal immigration of Bangladeshis. The media must awaken the masses, reveal the corruption in Government offices etc., and empower the public to be more proactive.