TRANSPORT

MANAGEMENT
While many exceptions to the general rules shown in figure
3 are, of course, possible, the table may, nevertheless, be
useful – for example, whenever the frequent question
of asphalting rural roads arises. In this context, the table
indicates that the asphalting of rural roads in LLDC countries
is a subsidy burden, which outstrips the possibilities of
the country concerned. It may be noted in passing that,
in cases where rural roads have been asphalted in densely
populated areas of Asia, they may be more appropriately
classified as ‘district’ or ‘regional’ roads if they carry local
traffic of more than 120 vehicles per day.
It is evident from the table that the technical level of road
standards is improving in parallel to economic growth. This
may notably be seen with India, which, at a GDP level of
more than US$ 1000 p.c., may already be planning for the
next development step.
To obviate a potential ‘inaccuracy’ in figure 3, it should be
recalled that India uses, among others, ‘lump sum’ criteria
for its rural roads: incorporating 4 five-year plans into a 20-
year master plan for rural roads – covering first all villages
with more than 3,000 inhabitants (followed, in later master
plans, by villages of more than 1,000 inhabitants) targeted
to be connected to the tarred Provincial Highway network.
Fifthly, maintenance requires local participation. Even
though, in most cases, the general financing of rural roads
has to be secured by central government, local participation
remains crucial for sustained success. This is especially due
to the massive need for maintenance of rural roads, which
has to be organised locally and can never be successfully
undertaken by central institutions. Thus, local funds are
needed too, albeit often limited to the provision of local
labour.
In conclusion, generally viable solutions for the RR issue
are at hand. A co-ordinated governmental approach,
focusing on finance and organisation, may be best suited
for achieving much-needed, lasting success in the rural
roads sector.
For more information, contact the author at
gerhard.metschies@gmx.de or go to www.metschies.com.
Rural Transport
Infrastructure in India:
Mapping Development with
Achievement
Dr. Asis Kumar Pain
Associate Professor, George College (Dept. of
Management Studies), Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Throughout the world, rural areas are the home of three
in every four people living on less than US$1 a day. In
view of the new poverty line of $1.25 a day that was
announced by the World Bank in 2008, and the fact
that over three billion people throughout the globe live
below that amount, it is obvious that the number of rural
people living under poverty is set to go up even further. A
majority of these rural poor is situated in developing and
Least Developed Countries (LDC), where the agricultural
sector plays a dominant role in driving the rural economy.
Given that income flows are uncertain in most developing
and LDCs, on account of the uncertainties of nature, it
follows that appropriate minimisation of the valuation of
time in agriculturally driven rural economies is central to
poverty reduction. Such aims can be achieved through
improvements in rural transport infrastructure and means.
Research findings indicate that aggregate elasticity of
agriculture in poor countries is higher with respect to
non-price factors than to price factors (Creightney, 1993).
Improvement of infrastructure, an important non-price
factor, appears to have an upper hand in yielding bigger
increases in production. Hence, transport improvements
are considered indispensable for rural development and
poverty reduction. Appropriate development of rural
transport infrastructure entails increases in economic
efficiency and lowering of costs and prices, as well as
ensuring meaningful access to social and economic
opportunities.
The Indian Scenario
The importance of transport in the rural setting has
been recognised by the Government of India as a basic
means for sustaining agricultural growth and, with it,
the rural economy. With the recent emergence of India
as an economic powerhouse, these efforts received a
boost through the institution of a Road Development
Plan, known as Vision: 2021, to help guide the Central
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| IRF BULLETIN SPECIAL EDITION: RURAL TRANSPORT, VOLUME-2