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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
New Delhi
01 May 2008
India is building new roads, airports and power plants to cater1 to the needs of an economy that is growing at a rapid pace. But, as Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, infrastructure2 continues to be woefully inadequate3.
Later this month, a gleaming, new airport will open in India's famous information technology hub, Bangalore, meeting a long-standing demand of the I.T. industry.
However, access roads to the new airport -- 36 kilometers north of the city center -- have not been widened to ease chronic4 traffic snarls5. As a result, people fear the commute6 to the airport could take up to three hours -- longer than a short-haul flight.
Inadequate transport networks in bursting cities is just one of the problems confronting a country where all infrastructure is in short supply -- whether it is reliable power, highways, ports or world-class airports.
Bidisha Ganguly, a consultant7 at the Confederation of Indian Industry, says these shortages have intensified8 amid the recent economic boom.
"India has been growing at a very fast rate," Ganguly said. "So, as a result, all infrastructure is strained, so there are huge gaps and bottlenecks9 everywhere. We don't build infrastructure ahead of demand. We typically build it once the bottlenecks are there and fairly apparent."
The bottlenecks are becoming severe. Vehicles choke already crowded roads as car sales go up. Average loading and unloading time at busy sea ports is 85 hours -- 10 times longer than at Singapore or Hong Kong. Airports and ports often run short of warehouse10 space. It takes manufacturers days to transport goods from one part of the country to the other -- partly because trucks are barred from congested cities during the day for fear they might bring traffic to a standstill.
Lack of adequate power is perhaps the most severe problem. Most industries and offices rely on massive power generators11 because electricity is often shut off for hours at a stretch, even in prime business and industrial areas.
The head of the Indian Council of International Economic Relations, Rajiv Kumar, says lack of adequate infrastructure holds back growth and discourages investors12 -- both domestic and foreign.
"The industry has to provide all the infrastructure needs, itself, rather than these be available to it as it is in all other countries routinely as a part of the delivery of public services," Kumar said. "That means that even for those who can afford to do this, the costs become very high. But for a large number of medium and small enterprises it just means that they simply have to forego investment opportunities. So, infrastructure deficit13 in my view is probably costing India up to two percent growth in GDP (gross domestic product)."
The government acknowledges the country is grappling with a huge infrastructure deficit. It estimates India needs to invest $500 billion, in the next five years, to build roads, seaports14, airports, high-speed expressways and power plants. The government is calling on the private sector15 to share the task.
Some of that investment is already in the pipeline16. A project to link the country's four major cities with wide roads is to be completed this year. Modern airports are being built in several cities, under a new model under which private groups will build facilities, collect tolls17 and eventually hand the project back to the government.
The government says the results of all these investments will be visible in five to 10 years. But many fear it may be longer, because many infrastructure projects often get delayed.
Ganguly says India needs to speed up the pace at which projects are implemented18.
"The feeling is that much more should be done," Ganguly said. "While the government has a broad plan, there are problems in implementation19, getting clearances20. Bureaucratic21 delays are there and it is not a straightforward22 issue, where you can just go and build a port or a airport."
But many acknowledge that it is not always easy to fast track projects in a democracy where issues like land acquisition are sensitive and time consuming.
Critics often compare India to the other Asian giant, China, which has built world-class infrastructure in record time. But others point out that although the Chinese central government's nod is enough to get a project off the ground, the task is far more difficult in India, where consensus23 is needed before any project can go ahead.
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cater
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| vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务 | |
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infrastructure
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| n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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snarls
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| n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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commute
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| vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通 | |
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consultant
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| n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生 | |
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intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bottlenecks
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| n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍 | |
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warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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generators
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| n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司 | |
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investors
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| n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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deficit
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| n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差 | |
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seaports
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| n.海港( seaport的名词复数 ) | |
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sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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pipeline
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| n.管道，管线 | |
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tolls
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| （缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏 | |
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implemented
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| v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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implementation
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| n.实施，贯彻 | |
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clearances
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| 清除( clearance的名词复数 )； 许可； （录用或准许接触机密以前的）审查许可； 净空 | |
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bureaucratic
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| adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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