Riding along the 6-lane Motorway from Lahore to Islamabad, it is difficult to believe that you are in a country that is supposed to be falling apart. Connecting Pakistan’s capital with the nation’s largest industrial city, the 357-kilometer highway – called M2 – is as good and as efficient as the expressways in the US and turnpikes in Europe.
The average driving speed is 100 kilometers an hour and you stop only once in your journey – to pay Rs 200 toll (170 Indian Rupees). Its 74 bridges ensure that there are no road crossings. A dividing wall, between up and down-stream traffic, rules out eventualities of head-on traffic, and barbed fencing all along the M2 prevents any sideways movement. But dare not turn into a speed freaks. Toyota-borne highway patrols keep an agile eye on over-speeding.
The $1.16 billion (approximately 50,000 crore Indian Rupees) highway is Pakistan’s testimony that a Third World country can build – and maintain – a First World infrastructure. India’s Delhi-Agra highway, constructed after, doesn’t come close to the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, either in construction or in maintenance.
India’s “collapsing” neighbour is ahead in other infrastructure too. It has surplus power, runs more efficient telephone services and the cities of Islamabad and Lahore are better kept than most Indian metropolitan cities. Dial the local telephone enquiry in Islamabad and the response will be quick and accurate – a rarity with Delhi’s MTNL telephone enquiry. Lahore’s street’s are better-lit and road instructions are more accurate than one would find in any Indian city. The canal that surrounds Lahore and most of its suburbs is many times cleaner than the Yamuna in Delhi.
Pakistanis enjoy better infrastructure because they pay a better price for it. A middle-class family spends anything between a third to a fourth of its monthly income on the three basic utilities of power, gas and telephone. Consequently, in 1999-2000 Pakistan spent just 0.4 per cent of its national income on subsidies, down from 1.1 per cent in 1990-91. During the same period, India’s subsidy bill has hovered around 3.1 per cent of its national income.
Interestingly – and instructively for the Indian policy makers – most of the subsidy cuts in Pakistan have happened in the past ten years when democratic governments were in power. A weaker democracy has produced bolder pricing reforms. One may argue that raising prices has been easier in Pakistan because poverty is not as acute there as it is in India. Pakistanis claim with pride that nobody dies of starvation in their country. While that is an exaggeration, the poorest of the poor in Pakistan are better off than the poorest of the poor in India – partly because Muslim society does not have the kind of caste system Hindu society is ridden with.
But lower poverty is not the only reason that made the task of subsidy cuts easier in Pakistan. Some of the critical lobbies in Pakistan are, somehow, not as unreasonable as they are in India. For instance, the agriculture lobby in Pakistan does not fight for low input prices (subsidised seeds, fertilisers, water). It fights for higher output (crop) prices. In India the farm lobby bleeds the government both ways, demanding – and getting – subsidised inputs as well as a remunerative price for output.
But Pakistan’s economic virtues begin and end with successful subsidy reduction and a relatively efficient infrastructure management.
Chin-o-arab hamaara
hindostaan hamaara
muslim hai hum, vatan hai saara jahaan hamaara
It doesnt mean that everything inPakistan is Dandy .But we must not forget to accentuate opur assetts ..smaller sleeker smarter...mean machine anology for Indians WANT ADVANTAGE OF SLIM SLEEK MEAN COUNTRY & ROBUST ELEPHENTINE SIZE BULLY HAEGEMONOUS GIANT OF UGLY DUCKLING AT THE SAME TIME.
The advantageous of India in size can be seen as disadvantage for all its gain is buried in the exploding 1bn mass .
Rs. 170 toll for a 350 Km drive is way too high for the average indian to shell out. in india, such a highway would benefit only the creamy layer. maybe pakistanis are rich.
given india's population density, it would be much more fruitful to turn to improving services on the wide-spread indian railway network. exploiting the existing rail network could lead to a cost and area effective alternative.
Fatimah bibi, i like they way your post is both sleek mean machine and ELEPHANTINE HEGEMONIOUS GIANT UGLY DUCKLING at the same time. god bless you.
[quote]
Originally posted by queer:
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Rs. 170 toll for a 350 Km drive is way too high for the average indian to shell out. in india, such a highway would benefit only the creamy layer. maybe pakistanis are rich.
given india's population density, it would be much more fruitful to turn to improving services on the wide-spread indian railway network. exploiting the existing rail network could lead to a cost and area effective alternative.
Fatimah bibi, i like they way your post is both sleek mean machine and ELEPHANTINE HEGEMONIOUS GIANT UGLY DUCKLING at the same time. god bless you.**
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Train.Rickshaw Tempo ,Taxi will always be cheaper .....
Here we are talking of travelling by Car like Americans & ppl. like this to be willing to drive like european or Americans .......
India always has had Baniya mentality ....
There is a toll high way between Mumbai & poona owned privately but its dangerous b/c govt does not patroll it .
Main Akela he chalaa thaa janib-e-manzil magar
Log saath aatey rahey aur Carvaan Badhta gaya
[quote]
Originally posted by FYI:
** Here we are talking of travelling by Car like Americans & ppl. like this to be willing to drive like european or Americans .......**
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Conditions are vastly different in the West and in India. What is appropriate technology for Europe and America is not appropriate for India, I dont know about Pakistan.
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India always has had Baniya mentality ....
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What is baniya mentality?
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There is a toll high way between Mumbai & poona owned privately but its dangerous b/c govt does not patroll it .
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The Bombay-Pune expressway construction isnt complete. It has a toll of 25 Rupees for the 150 kms, and the section thats open is pretty well patrolled.
Isolated focus on price of one commodity is not a fair way to judge its worth or value .
"What is baniya mentality? "
You mean you never heard being on Pakistani infested forum so long?
Its a cliche used for Indians ,literally meaning you know but it means many things that indian seem to Pakistani .So i dont know what else it means but i used it in place of “miser” or Jew ( not israeli) or “kanjar”.Now opposite of which is not necessarily extravagant but not penny wise & pound foolish but other ways round…
Baniya is tight purse ,never letting loose to enjoy life & usually ends up losing his lifes saving in Stock market collapse ,wealth tax ,etc.
for queer, 'baniyas' and 'lalas' are derogatory terms used for hindus in pak. before partition, hindus held major businesses in pak. (after partition they came to india and sindhi/punjabis were equally successful in businesses here.) there was a lot of jealosy in local population about their success and that still reflects. in academics also, for years a khatri or arora will stand first in punjab board exam. part of reason for pakistan demand was that muslims were unable to compete in any field so they thought it is better idea to get rid of hindus.
Yup. For them all Hindus seem to be ‘Baniyas’.
For the record I am not a Baniya though I like them for the following reasons.
1.They are hardworking and keep to themselves!!
2.They don’t breed like rats and lock up their women
Pakistanis claim with pride that nobody dies of starvation in their country. While that is an exaggeration, the poorest of the poor in Pakistan are better off than the poorest of the poor in India **
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Then you may not be baniya according to your caste system but by our conferring you the status YOU ARE …tongue in cheek or jokingly or in jest whatever
[quote]
Originally posted by queer:
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Rs. 170 toll for a 350 Km drive is way too high for the average indian to shell out. in india, such a highway would benefit only the creamy layer. maybe pakistanis are rich.
**
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well IMO 170 is worth it. Travel on the motorway is quick and comfortable.
Other than that building a road is hardly a lesson. Its more of a white elephant than something to be proud of. Its just a strip of road built in the middle of the country and serves no perpose. They should have started it from karachi or something.
Is the motorway breaking even? I wouldnt think so.