Throughout our travels in the Darjeeling/Gangtok/Kalimpong areas we were on roads built and maintained by the Border Roads Organization. This is probably an army or a partially-army organization..clearly, the discipline was visible everywhere. Most of the roads were in good condition, and where the condition was bad, because of landslips, it was easy to see how much effort goes into keeping up the roads in such adverse climactic conditions….earth movers and bulldozers were hard at work even as we made our way through.

The BRO also has put up various signboards everywhere, reminding users of the roads to whom they are indebted for the roads they travel over. The only thing they do not tell users of the roads is…how and where to contact them to thank them for their efforts!

Some of the signs are also funny pieces of rhyming verse…“after whisky, driving is risky”….”you want to last, then why go so fast?”…we amused ourselves by making up others, like, “don’t fall asleep and take an involuntary leap”!

If only we had such efficient organization in charge of our roads here at Bangalore! The flyover supposed to be finished by April 2003 is l;yet languishing,and todays’ papers carry the news item that the contracto, UP State Bridge Coropration,is not even thinking of finishing the work contracted for….crores have been poured into the construction (or lack of it) so far….and we continue to suffer….by the time the flyover is finished, traffic volumes would have long since overtaken the planning and the bad traffic conditions will continue….

I wish we could shoot corrupt officials…at least I wish we could Identify them and publish their photographs in the paper!