What objectives did the British intend to achieve through their policies of infrastructure development in India?

Question

Accepted Answer

Under the colonial regime, basic infrastructure such as railways, ports, water transport, posts and telegraphs did develop. However, the real motive behind this development was not to provide basic amenities to the people but to subserve various colonial interests.

1. **Roads**: The roads constructed in India prior to the advent of the British rule were not fit for modern transport. The roads that were built primarily served the purposes of mobilising the army within India and drawing out raw materials from the countryside to the nearest railway station or port, to send these to England or other lucrative foreign destinations. There always remained an acute shortage of all-weather roads to reach out to the rural areas during the rainy season, and people living in these areas suffered grievously during natural calamities and famines.

2. **Railways**: The British introduced the railways in India in 1850, and it is considered one of their most important contributions. The railways were developed mainly for three reasons: to have effective control and administration over the vast Indian territory, to earn profits through foreign trade by linking the railways with major ports, and to make a profitable investment of British funds in India. The railways affected the structure of the Indian economy in two important ways. On the one hand, it enabled people to undertake long-distance travel and thereby break geographical and cultural barriers. On the other hand, it fostered the commercialisation of Indian agriculture, which adversely affected the self-sufficiency of the village economies in India. The volume of India's exports undoubtedly expanded, but its benefits rarely accrued to the Indian people. The social benefits gained by the Indian people owing to the introduction of railways were outweighed by the country's huge economic loss.

3. **Electric telegraph**: The introduction of the expensive system of electric telegraph served the purpose of maintaining law and order.

4. **Postal services**: The postal services, despite serving a useful public purpose, remained all through inadequate.

Thus, the objective behind the development of infrastructure was never the welfare of the Indian people but the promotion and protection of the economic and administrative interests of the British Empire.