From collapsing bridges to huge craters in roads and highways during monsoons, crumbling infrastructure lays bare the reality of "Bhrashtachar-mukt Bharat". As taxpayers’ money goes down the drain, no one is held accountable for the poor quality of construction and maintenance of public infrastructure. Was the promise of a corruption-free India just a political slogan?

In this episode of Jaanne Bhi Do Yaaro, Professor M.M. Ansari joins Amrita Johri and Anjali Bhardwaj discuss the truth of systemic failures to check corruption in public works. This isn't just about a few flawed projects; it's about the systemic rot of crony capitalism and a deep-seated nexus between contractors and those in power. The disclosures of the purchasers and recipients of electoral bonds, following the landmark verdict of the Supreme Court, laid bare the quid pro quo arrangements – companies which gave money to the ruling party received contracts worth thousands of crores. Navyug Engineering – the company behind the Silkyara Tunnel which collapsed trapping 41 labourers – donated Rs 55 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds.

As per media reports, in the last four years, 170 bridges have collapsed leading to more than 200 deaths. The cost of corruption is not just loss of public money but also the loss of lives. Every year thousands of crores are spent on desilting of drains and yet our cities are flooded after just a few hours of rain. The BMC spent Rs 7,000 crore over 10 years on desilting of drains and rivers and storm water drain projects and despite that Mumbai gets flooded in every monsoon.

In such a situation, a key tool for accountability that people can use is the Right to Information (RTI) Act to access information and expose scams in public infrastructure.

We discuss powerful instances of how the RTI Act has been used to expose corruption in development works and how the government has been trying to undermine the law to evade accountability. We also discuss how oversight and anti-corruption bodies like the Information Commissions and Lokpal are being weakened through amendments to the laws and delays in appointments.

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