VOA标准英语2008年-In India, Infrastructure Falls Short as Economy
时间:2019-02-07 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(五月)
New Delhi
01 May 2008
India is building new roads, airports and power plants to cater 1 to the needs of an economy that is growing at a rapid pace. But, as Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, infrastructure 2 continues to be woefully inadequate 3.
Later this month, a gleaming, new airport will open in India's famous information technology hub, Bangalore, meeting a long-standing demand of the I.T. industry.
However, access roads to the new airport -- 36 kilometers north of the city center -- have not been widened to ease chronic 4 traffic snarls 5. As a result, people fear the commute 6 to the airport could take up to three hours -- longer than a short-haul flight.
Inadequate transport networks in bursting cities is just one of the problems confronting a country where all infrastructure is in short supply -- whether it is reliable power, highways, ports or world-class airports.
Bidisha Ganguly, a consultant 7 at the Confederation of Indian Industry, says these shortages have intensified 8 amid the recent economic boom.
"India has been growing at a very fast rate," Ganguly said. "So, as a result, all infrastructure is strained, so there are huge gaps and bottlenecks 9 everywhere. We don't build infrastructure ahead of demand. We typically build it once the bottlenecks are there and fairly apparent."
The bottlenecks are becoming severe. Vehicles choke already crowded roads as car sales go up. Average loading and unloading time at busy sea ports is 85 hours -- 10 times longer than at Singapore or Hong Kong. Airports and ports often run short of warehouse 10 space. It takes manufacturers days to transport goods from one part of the country to the other -- partly because trucks are barred from congested cities during the day for fear they might bring traffic to a standstill.
Lack of adequate power is perhaps the most severe problem. Most industries and offices rely on massive power generators 11 because electricity is often shut off for hours at a stretch, even in prime business and industrial areas.
The head of the Indian Council of International Economic Relations, Rajiv Kumar, says lack of adequate infrastructure holds back growth and discourages investors 12 -- both domestic and foreign.
"The industry has to provide all the infrastructure needs, itself, rather than these be available to it as it is in all other countries routinely as a part of the delivery of public services," Kumar said. "That means that even for those who can afford to do this, the costs become very high. But for a large number of medium and small enterprises it just means that they simply have to forego investment opportunities. So, infrastructure deficit 13 in my view is probably costing India up to two percent growth in GDP (gross domestic product)."
The government acknowledges the country is grappling with a huge infrastructure deficit. It estimates India needs to invest $500 billion, in the next five years, to build roads, seaports 14, airports, high-speed expressways and power plants. The government is calling on the private sector 15 to share the task.
Some of that investment is already in the pipeline 16. A project to link the country's four major cities with wide roads is to be completed this year. Modern airports are being built in several cities, under a new model under which private groups will build facilities, collect tolls 17 and eventually hand the project back to the government.
The government says the results of all these investments will be visible in five to 10 years. But many fear it may be longer, because many infrastructure projects often get delayed.
Ganguly says India needs to speed up the pace at which projects are implemented 18.
"The feeling is that much more should be done," Ganguly said. "While the government has a broad plan, there are problems in implementation 19, getting clearances 20. Bureaucratic 21 delays are there and it is not a straightforward 22 issue, where you can just go and build a port or a airport."
But many acknowledge that it is not always easy to fast track projects in a democracy where issues like land acquisition are sensitive and time consuming.
Critics often compare India to the other Asian giant, China, which has built world-class infrastructure in record time. But others point out that although the Chinese central government's nod is enough to get a project off the ground, the task is far more difficult in India, where consensus 23 is needed before any project can go ahead.
- I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
- Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。
- We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
- We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设,发展各类群众文化。
- The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
- She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。
- Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
- Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
- I don't know why my hair snarls easily. 我不知道我的头发为什么容易缠结。 来自辞典例句
- She combed the snarls out of her hair. 她把头发的乱结梳理通。 来自辞典例句
- I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
- Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。
- He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
- Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来,加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。
- Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
- The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
- The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。
- The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
- Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
- a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
- The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
- We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。
- Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
- Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网
- The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
- The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。
- The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
- A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。
- A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
- The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。
- This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革,经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句
- But I can't get to him without clearances. 但是没有证明我就没法见到他。
- The bridge and the top of the bus was only ten clearances. 桥与公共汽车车顶之间的间隙只有十厘米。
- The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
- In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔,也必须通过繁琐的手续。
- A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
- I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。