Monday, July 16, 2007

Keynes at Work



I know that this fine country of ours doesn't really subscribe to the neo-classical Chicago School of Economic thought and sticks to Marx and Keynes, but really they don't need to take the man so literally.

I'm only back home for so many months in the year, and this is a phenomenon that predates my leaving for college. It happens at least 4 times in a year. You see, I live on a main road in Delhi, and as a result the road just outside our house is subject to being dug up. A lot. I kid you not, every time you think they're done with something they start all over again. What can be the reasons behind this? Well, there seems to be a different one every time, but there's only so many times that you can buy that they absolutely need to put in a new water/phone/electricity line, and only so many times you can believe that they are "constructing" the pavement or "broadening" the road. But before the recent spate of digging up that has started, there was already a nice pavement and a decent enough road. Obviously not good enough for our Municipal department, so just before the monsoon season begins, they decide its an appropriate time to dig up the entire brick and concrete pavement and replace it with cement. No, not concrete. Cement. This would I'm guessing serve the dual purpose of widening the road as well, no matter that a week and 3 strong rainshowers later what I effectively have infront of my house is hardened mud.
But that was irrelevant, for yesterday they started digging again. Apparently a new water mains was needed, something that was realised precisely 10 seconds after the order to dig up the road to remake the pavement was given.

The MCD's basically taken that man Keynes to heart, and taken upon itself creating employment through using its savings to get people to dig holes in the ground. Good for them, but could they possibly find someone else's road for a change?