A bullet train for whom?

With reference to Shreekant Sambrani’s article, “Discounting the bullet train” (September 19), at a time when the country is struggling with employment problems, setting up domestic industries with high employment potential should be the need of the hour.

A mammoth investment of ~1.1 lakh crore, with a loan component of ~88,000 crore, 0.1 per cent interest payable over a 50-year period and a moratorium of 15 years is indeed a big step by India at this juncture, that too, to fulfil the personal ambition of the Prime Minister.

Even as the country struggles with burgeoning current account deficit and balance of payments, bullets trains are a redundant investment. Gross domestic product has slumped, exports are down, retail and wholesale inflation are up. Against this background, the bullet train is aimed at whom? How many people can afford to travel on it? Due to rising cost of living driven by prices of essential commodities, can the country afford a bullet train?

The government should improve roads all over India, provide better health care in rural and semi-urban areas, make housing and education affordable and connect rivers in stages.

The government should not fritter away revenue earned from taxes paid by citizens. While the government’s intentions are good, it has to prioritise and differentiate between need and urgency.