For past few days I am struggling to find out what is the total length of roads in India?
what is revenue area of India?
What is projected population of India in 2017?
Are they easy questions? Particularly when a secretary (an IAS) asks for references, authentic documents?
I tried. But could not get authentic documents.
I wrote to few departments. PWD, Rural Development, Urban local body.
In reply I got the data of their jurisdiction only and all of them said I don’t know about India.
I saw these departments were sending reports to Their Ministries concerned. One engineer from PWD department came to me and said I cannot give data of India. I said since you regularly send data/reports to Ministry of Road thus at least you can ask anyone there on telephone or via email etc. and help me. They denied. But later on print I got from them duly signed. That was print of Wikipedia page on roads in India.
But then I had this demand of IAS back in my mind about authentic document. Thus I thought whether I can presume this wiki document as authentic?
On the page of National Highways Authority of India site, it is mentioned that total length of roads in 33 lakhs km.
While searching through internet I got another link of Statistical Year book of India 2017 brought out by Ministry of Statistics. It has table on different categories of roads.
Table 21.1 I think lists the total and surfaced roads. It has data on highways, pwd roads, urban roads, other rural roads and project roads. But that totals to as total roads-4572144 km and 3157806 km.
But on the page of NHAI it had 33 lakhs km.
Confusion started arising as to which data should I take?
Then there was another set of information on https://community.data.gov.in/total-road-length-in-india-from-2001-to-2015/
This page says that as on March 2015 5472144.255 Kms is the total road length in India.
Thus does it can be concluded as to what Wikipedia page lists is correct? As on March 2016 total road length in India is 5603293 Kms. But another point as to how to know state wise breakup of this 5603293 kms??
Due to Pressure amounting on my head I thought to call help from outside of my state? No one was able to help me.
I searched the NHAI site. There I found a word planning Stat & coord. Immediately I called up 011-25093551. Someone talked to me, as I told my story and query? She connected me to someone. I got the reply that I am giving you a number. You contact him. As he is dealing with data. I called on his mobile. XXXXXXX824. The voice on other side said wrong number.
I called up again to earlier number on which that person gave me this new number. The lady PA talked and I confirmed the number of Mr M. She said it is correct number. She gave me another number to dial. 25074110 and said you dial extension numbers to talk to Mr M. I got the line but voice on other side he is not here, and I don’t know when he will come.
Whole of these three days internet connection dead. I could not open a single page. I called the Karnataka Directorate of Economics. They gave me one number of some Smt S. I dialed two times on her mobile. But no one picked up. I called again they gave me land line also. But I sent SMS to that mobile number writing that I am calling to get help on road length of India as data on roads is printed in the statistical book published by Karnataka DES.
Then next I called UP DES Lucknow. There they gave me number of Deputy Director Mr Yadav. I called on his mobile several times but no response. Then I called again to DES line, they gave me land line number. There also for almost whole day I rang but no one picked up. Then I asked DES number 0522-2238969. This was I think fourth call to this number. They gave me pne number of Mr Pandey. I called on that also. Then once again I called the DES number. They told me they may be in meeting you call later. But till 5 in evening I was not able to talk to anyone in UP.
I had another hope in Himachal Pradesh.
Since I had to calculate road density for that I needed projected population also.
In Himachal Pradesh statistical Publication I saw a very good table on population projection. India’s projected population for 2017 was given as 1345276000 in table no 26.13.
I telephoned 0177-2626302, the voice on other side very courteously informed me that I will give you a number you call on that since he is dealing on that subject. While further talking he said you give me your number I will tell any officer to call you. I said thankyou. Later in evening a call came from Himachal Pradesh. He said the population projection were worked out by DES people only based on census 2011 population. I was amazed. Since I wanted to know if any link is available with them of RGI or census they said no.
I had asked local census office twice about such data. Projected population statewise. They said they don’t have projected population of India. RGI has not released so I cannot tell. But whatever you want you write a letter then we will ask from central office. I was shocked initially. Thinking that local census office do not have projected population of India. But that is reality I had to face.
I called Delhi DES. The voice on other side said the officer is not in seat then I said please call any other officer. He said hold on I am calling someone. Second voice said officer is not his seat. I said that I know but I want to know this data? He said he get from transport department. Later on my requesting he said you click to that link on site and you will get whatever you wanted. Then I thought what to say further.
Whole of three days I could not search internet, problem was the speed.
But when I could not get help from NHAI office who else will be able to help me?
I am afraid what I will face next, if I am asked to give authentic document about road density?
so there are issues, of connectivity, Data dissemination, transparency, ease of doing business? feeling connected?
Swayamkatha 