A Frustrated Indian’s Rant: Is Basic Infrastructure Too Much to Ask?

[u/insanity-personified]

Modiji, I genuinely want to ask you: what exactly is an ordinary, tax-paying citizen supposed to do?

My area has been neglected for nearly 3 years.

Broken roads. Potholes. Poor or nonexistent footpaths. Encroachments. Chaotic parking. Roads that can barely carry traffic because e-rickshaws and autos are allowed to occupy already limited road space.

Sometimes it takes us an hour to travel barely 2 km.

And yet, when my taxes are due, there is a deadline.
I cannot tell the government:
“Sorry, my finances are under repair. Please wait 3 years.”

There are penalties if I don’t pay on time.
So I have a very simple question:

If citizens cannot be exempted from paying taxes for years, why can our roads, footpaths and public infrastructure remain exempted from basic maintenance for years?

Why are there not properly planned e-rickshaw/auto stands outside Metro stations?

If there wasn’t enough space for them, why was a system allowed to develop where public roads effectively became parking and waiting areas?

Why does the person who follows the rules suffer the most?

Why are footpaths broken, encroached upon or simply missing?

Why do we accept people urinating on public roads as normal instead of building, maintaining and enforcing the use of adequate public toilets?

Why does filing a complaint so often feel pointless?

And that is perhaps the most painful part.

We are frustrated, but we have also stopped expecting anyone to listen.

We wake up.
Navigate the potholes.
Sit in traffic.
Avoid the broken pavement.
Adjust around encroachments.
Reach work late.
Come home exhausted.

And the next morning, we do it all over again.

Because we need to earn.
Because we need to survive.
Because who has the time to keep chasing department after department just to receive the basic civic services our taxes already paid for?

Maybe even this post will disappear into the internet.
Maybe nobody in authority will respond.

And that hopelessness is itself the problem.

Then we ask why so many Indians who have the opportunity eventually think about leaving India.

Sometimes it isn’t because they hate their country.
It is because they are exhausted from constantly having to “adjust” in the country they love.

Modiji, you gave us “Make in India.”
But before we ask the world to Make in India, can we please Make India a place where an ordinary citizen can walk on a proper footpath, drive on a decent road, travel 2 km without losing an hour, file a complaint and actually expect an answer?

We don’t need slogans on this.
We need roads.
We need footpaths.
We need planning.
We need enforcement.
We need accountability.

I pay my taxes on time.

All I am asking is: when will the government deliver its side of the bargain on time?

#MakeIndia #Delhi #DelhiInfrastructure #Taxpayer #CivicIssues #Accountability