surgery) in search of better health; they buy medical attention even when it does not
bring health, and so spend much money on the chronically ill, including those who
will never again be able to work.
If a Government is trying to give people what they want, it seems wise to think
that they want health more than they want anything else. In the light of the COVID19 pandemic prevailing in 2020, how many people felt the lack of proper and
adequate infrastructure?
1.2.7 Housing
Shelter is an essential component of human survival. Shortage of shelter is a
universal phenomenon faced by majority of countries and particularly the developing nations. More often than not, however, it is perceived more as an urban problem.
However, the magnitude of the housing shortage in rural areas is enormous.
As long back as 1948, the United Nations recognised housing as a basic human
right. A roof over one’s head is an important personal asset which enhances one’s
physical comfort and mental well-being. However, governments’ intended policies
and achievements in this field provide cause for much frustration.
The cost of building houses probably is an important cause of the difficulty: how
to build an acceptable house or apartment (wood, brick or cement) for urban working
class family at a cost of less than Rs. 500,000, without the land. The annual cost of
such a house is about Rs. 50,000. If a worker paid 10 per cent of his income in rent,
he would need an income of Rs. 500,000 a year. Even if he paid 20 per cent he
would need to earn Rs. 250,000 a year. And the percentage of workers who earn
Rs. 250,000 a year in developing or third world countries is small.
Is it possible for the Government to build houses for the poor or should it
encourage private persons to build houses, whether for owner-occupation or for
rent? If the Government cannot subsidise houses, but insists that people live in
expensive and unaffordable houses, then the housing problem becomes insoluble.
There should be more emphasis on the environment rather than on the house itself.
Well-spaced houses, painted in different colours, can be very attractive. Governments should provide sites where workers can build their own houses cheaply;
control the spacing of buildings; and look after lighting, water supplies and garbage
disposal. Slums are not houses made of cheap material, but rather the over-crowding
of sites and the absence of utilities. The provision of water supplies and waste
disposal cannot be over-emphasised.
1.2.8 Industry
Although in towns, industry is only one of the employment sources, industrial
activity starts becoming important as soon as the town grows beyond the minimum
threshold when it served only as a simple commercial exchange centre. As society
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1 Introduction to Infrastructure
bring health, and so spend much money on the chronically ill, including those who
will never again be able to work.
If a Government is trying to give people what they want, it seems wise to think
that they want health more than they want anything else. In the light of the COVID19 pandemic prevailing in 2020, how many people felt the lack of proper and
adequate infrastructure?
1.2.7 Housing
Shelter is an essential component of human survival. Shortage of shelter is a
universal phenomenon faced by majority of countries and particularly the developing nations. More often than not, however, it is perceived more as an urban problem.
However, the magnitude of the housing shortage in rural areas is enormous.
As long back as 1948, the United Nations recognised housing as a basic human
right. A roof over one’s head is an important personal asset which enhances one’s
physical comfort and mental well-being. However, governments’ intended policies
and achievements in this field provide cause for much frustration.
The cost of building houses probably is an important cause of the difficulty: how
to build an acceptable house or apartment (wood, brick or cement) for urban working
class family at a cost of less than Rs. 500,000, without the land. The annual cost of
such a house is about Rs. 50,000. If a worker paid 10 per cent of his income in rent,
he would need an income of Rs. 500,000 a year. Even if he paid 20 per cent he
would need to earn Rs. 250,000 a year. And the percentage of workers who earn
Rs. 250,000 a year in developing or third world countries is small.
Is it possible for the Government to build houses for the poor or should it
encourage private persons to build houses, whether for owner-occupation or for
rent? If the Government cannot subsidise houses, but insists that people live in
expensive and unaffordable houses, then the housing problem becomes insoluble.
There should be more emphasis on the environment rather than on the house itself.
Well-spaced houses, painted in different colours, can be very attractive. Governments should provide sites where workers can build their own houses cheaply;
control the spacing of buildings; and look after lighting, water supplies and garbage
disposal. Slums are not houses made of cheap material, but rather the over-crowding
of sites and the absence of utilities. The provision of water supplies and waste
disposal cannot be over-emphasised.
1.2.8 Industry
Although in towns, industry is only one of the employment sources, industrial
activity starts becoming important as soon as the town grows beyond the minimum
threshold when it served only as a simple commercial exchange centre. As society
14
1 Introduction to Infrastructure