Fixing things for the short term

I remember my dad used to say that American cars were built for obsolescence. Well, Indian ROADS appear to be built for obsolescence. My Indian colleagues have pointed out that the workers that fix the roads have developed the fine art of repairing roads that will remain intact for only a few weeks before they once again need repair. We have mused about the fact that there are more incentives to repair and then be called back to repair again, rather than doing a spectacular job the first time. These findings are substantiated by this note from our friend John, and his experience in India:

We were driving somewhere and noticed some fresh white lines on the road marking the lanes.    Then we noticed that the lines were powder – lime probably.   We said something  about how silly it was that they don’t paint the lines.  Our guide looked incredulous and said something like:  “But then the workers wouldn’t have that job to do again!”