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Good luck to the new states

Back during the Great Depression seventy years ago, people were so desperate to earn money that they indulged in some fairly absurd schemes.

One was to take part in non-stop dance competitions, where they were expected to dance for hours on end for the privilege of earning a few dollars. By the end, most couples were too tired to move yet too afraid to rest lest someone else carry away the prize. It was, I would imagine, almost as painful for the spectators to see the face of such naked desperation as it was tiring for the participants themselves.

I sense much the same emotions when looking at the spectacle of the American presidential elections. I had hoped to see the end of the process while I was still in the United States but that seemed next to impossible. It is time now to move away from the state of Florida to the state of India. Or, to be precise, to the states of India as three new ones came into being while I was out of the country -- Uttranchal, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.

Let me begin by congratulating the citizens of all three. I must confess, however, that I have some concerns for all three. Jharkhand has an abundance of mineral resources -- roughly two-thirds of everything that Bihar possessed earlier -- but it also has the infamous Coal Mafia to contend with.

Chhattisgarh has Naxalite problems and more. I hope and pray that the tribal population of both these new states is not exploited as has been the case earlier. Yet given hard work and sufficient precautions I see no reason why these two states should not enjoy a moderate amount of success.

It is when I look at Uttranchal that all my doubts about the viability of new territorial divisions rise with renewed vigour. Is this, to use Sardar Patel's terminology, a "viable" state?

I understand the frustration of the people who struggled to carve a new state of Uttranchal out of the old Uttar Pradesh. I freely confess that given the choice of enduring a Mulayam Singh Yadav as my chief minister and the uncertainties of the unknown, I too would probably have chosen the latter. But having broken free I would also ponder over my sources of income.

Both Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh possess, I understand, valuable mineral and forest resources. But where are the assets that confer economic viability on Uttranchal?

The only answer I get to that question is "Tourism". Fair enough, Uttranchal really does possess spectacular mountain scenery and is also home to some of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. Yet I must be pardoned for wanting to know whether the new state owns the infrastructure to take advantage of these assets.

The tourism industry does not exist in a vacuum. Where are the roads, the electricity, the clean water, and the reasonably-priced hotels that the tourists of the twenty-first century shall demand? They were certainly not there on my last visit to what is now Uttranchal. Walk through the streets of any major city in India -- or even small towns -- and you shall see a plethora of Internet cafes; they have sprung up to answer the demands of foreign tourists who take access to the World Wide Web for granted. But it is a mockery to speak of these facilities in the hills of Uttranchal where even a simple telephone line is hard to come by.

Pilgrims, I admit, shall be far less choosy than mere tourists. They will put up with immense hardship for the sake of access to some shrines. But as time goes by, they too shall begin to demand some basic facilities. But the sad fact is that Uttranchal really does not have the money to build the roads, power plants, and sewage facilities that are essential to modern life.

It is a classic Catch-22 situation. Without the tourists and the pilgrims, there is no money to build infrastructure. Without the requisite infrastructure, there will be no pilgrims. (Or not in sufficient numbers anyway.)

I am not sure if the new ministry in Uttranchal is taking steps to cut this Gordian Knot. Yet I am sure it is aware of the dilemma -- after all, the ministers and legislators themselves are finding it difficult to find appropriate accommodation.

Incidentally, I am not sure that the choice of Dehradun as capital of the new state was appropriate. I understand that the men and women who actually participated in the Uttrakhand movement had hoped to build a new capital roughly halfway between Dehradun and Nainital. That might still happen of course, given that Dehradun is technically only the 'provisional' capital, but 'provisional' has a habit of becoming 'permanent'.

The choice of Dehradun has, I understand, been received with something less than total warmth even by the local inhabitants. (I confess that I do not speak from personal experience, merely reports from others.) Dehradun is, or was, the closest that modern India has to a university town -- it was a school town. Starting with the mighty Indian Military Academy, the town hosted an array of educational and training institutions. I am not sure if they shall continue to thrive in the new 'capital'.

The fallout has begun. Rumour has it the politicians want to take over the Forest Research Institute, and make it their new secretariat. This institution has the status of a deemed university; throwing it out would not be a happy beginning. Is it really sending out the right message when the "servants of the people" seem most concerned about securing impressive buildings for themselves?

(This seems to be a common problem. I understand the new chief minister of Chhattisgarh is busy squabbling with the district magistrate over his bungalow!)

I understand why the people of Uttranchal separated from Uttar Pradesh. But they must understand that it shall be an uphill struggle to achieve all their desires. Here is wishing them luck!

T V R Shenoy