5 October 2010. Despite India's rise as high-tech titan, w some of world’s best engineering minds, its full econ potential is stifled by potholed roadways, collapsing bridges, rickety railroads, & most of all, power grid so unreliable many modern office buildings run their own diesel generators to make sure lights & computers stay on. Problem is dearth of engineers — or at least civil engineers, w skill & expertise to make sure ambitious projects done on time & up to specifications. Civil engineering once elite occupation in India, during British colonial era of carving roads & laying train tracks, & long after independence as part of civil service. Today, tho, India’s best & brightest know there's more money & prestige writing software for foreign customers than building roadways for their nation. Preference 4 software over steel & concrete poses econ conundrum. Much-envied IT industry generates tens of 1000s of relatively well-paying jobs every year. But that lure heightens exodus of ppl qualified to build desperately-needed infrastructure 2 improve living conditions & bolster industries that require good highways & railroads > high-speed Internet links 2 West. One major obstacle to attracting more civil engineers is paltry entry-level pay.
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