JOIN US Despite the recent Lalit Modi controversy, an overwhelming majority of India Inc feels that the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is relatively free from any “corruption stigma”, but a strong sense of oversight on bureaucrats, bankers, PSU officials and the government project heads have led to a ‘play it safe’ style of working.
Industry chamber Assocham interacted with about 105 corporate heads in the last one week. Based on the conversation, it said that the ‘play it safe’ approach was creating problems of slow movement in some of the key infrastructure projects like roads, ports, power, coal and environment issues.
“For instance, in the absence of environment clearances at the Centre and state levels, thousands of ready-to-move-in houses are stuck in the NCR. The real estate developers are ready to hand over flats, but the issues — like a bird sanctuary nearby — have not been resolved, resulting in delays causing financial loss and suffering to middle-class people who have booked these units,” Assocham said.
“Sharing their experience at the implementation level, the corporate senior functionaries feel that it is at the project execution levels that the officials are taking a ‘safe’ approach. They want to go by the rule book which at times is beset with impractical and outdated rules.”
“Any deviation from these rules would involve exercise of discretionary powers which these officials are not willing to use,” the report by the industry chamber said.
It specially noted the problem with regard to officials at the project level in regard to projects in the highway sector.