A ₹6 crore railway station that hasn't seen a single train in nearly three years. Empty airports. Phantom schools. Idle hospitals. Ghost employees.

Is India building infrastructure for citizens—or for headlines?

In this audio, senior journalist Sucheta Dalal examines the growing phenomenon of "ghost infrastructure"—public assets that are inaugurated with great fanfare but remain unused, abandoned or grossly underutilised.

From the mysterious Nishatpura railway station in Bhopal to loss-making transport projects, abandoned schools, idle airports under the UDAN scheme, unused hospitals and digital ghost beneficiaries, this investigation asks a simple question:

Why are taxpayers paying for projects that fail to serve the public?

Drawing on CAG audit reports, official data and documented examples from across India, this video explores:

- The ₹6 crore ghost railway station

- The Mumbai Monorail's continuing losses

- Ghost schools and empty classrooms

- Idle hospitals despite overcrowded patients

- Ghost airports under the UDAN scheme

- Phantom government employees and welfare leakages

- Why announcements often matter more than outcomes

- What accountability is needed before India can achieve Viksit Bharat 2047

This is not merely a story about wasted money—it is about governance, accountability and the public trust.

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India's highways, airports and digital infrastructure showcase rapid progress. But is physical infrastructure alone enough to achieve the dream of Viksit Bharat?

In this thought-provoking talk, Debashis Basu argues that India's biggest challenge is not the lack of capital or technology, but a persistent human capital deficit. Drawing on economic research by Gregory Mankiw, David Romer, David Weil, Robert Lucas and Paul Romer, he explains why education, healthcare and skills—not just GDP growth—determine whether a nation becomes truly prosperous.

The video also examines how South Korea, Singapore and China transformed themselves through sustained investments in human capital, and why India risks remaining trapped as a lower-middle-income country unless it reforms education, vocational training and public health.

Topics covered:

• Why human capital matters more than physical capital

• The limits of infrastructure-led growth

• India's skilling and employability crisis

• Lessons from South Korea, Singapore and China

• NEP, vocational education and workforce readiness

• What India must do to realise the Viksit Bharat vision

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India has witnessed an unprecedented infrastructure boom over the past decade, with new expressways, bridges, tunnels, airports and mega projects transforming the country's landscape.

But alongside the impressive inaugurations and glossy visuals is a troubling pattern: collapsing bridges, cracked highways, design blunders, rushed construction and a striking lack of accountability.

In this audio, veteran journalist Sucheta Dalal examines why India's infrastructure is increasingly making headlines for the wrong reasons. From Bihar's recurring bridge collapses and the Morbi tragedy to Mumbai's engineering missteps and concerns over expressways, she asks whether speed and spectacle have overtaken quality, safety and governance.

The discussion explores:

- Why infrastructure failures are becoming so common

- The role of political timelines and rushed inaugurations

- Weak oversight, contractor accountability and audit failures

- Why major public assets fail without lasting consequences

- What India must change to build infrastructure that truly lasts

Is India building for generations—or simply building for the next inauguration?

Watch the full analysis and share your thoughts in the comments.

Read the full article: https://www.moneylife.in/article/indias-frequent-infrastructure-failures-built-to-show-not-to-last/81051.html

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