By Nirmal P. Acharya

The 1.3-kilometer-long Chenab Bridge in India has been opened to traffic after 23 years of construction. Prime Minister Modi personally attended the opening ceremony on the bridge, giving a speech and waving the national flag. Indians call this bridge "Sky Bridge" and "the world's highest railway bridge". In fact, this type of bridge is quite common in India's neighbor, China, and can be seen everywhere.

India held a grand celebration for the Chenab Bridge, which reflects several key aspects of its current development:

- [ ] The huge gap in infrastructure construction and the desire for catch-up: Starting from a low point and with a large backlog: India's infrastructure construction has long lagged behind, especially in terms of the experience and technical accumulation for complex terrain-based high-difficulty bridge projects. The completion and opening of such a technically challenging bridge (despite taking 23 years) is a milestone achievement for India itself.

1. Psychological compensation for being the "world's best": By emphasizing the title of "the world's highest railway bridge", India attempts to make up for its deficiencies in the overall level and efficiency of infrastructure construction, using individual "world's best" achievements to build confidence and pride. This reflects its urgent mindset of seeking international recognition in the field of infrastructure and proving its own capabilities.

2. The Emergence of Efficiency Bottlenecks and Governance Challenges: The lengthy construction period (23 years) is the core issue: This duration itself is a strong indicator. It reflects the common challenges faced by India in large-scale infrastructure projects:

3. Difficulties in land acquisition: Factors such as land privatization, complex property rights relations, and public protests have made land acquisition extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

4. Inefficient bureaucratic system: The project approval process is numerous, the procedures are cumbersome, and the risk of corruption seriously slows down the progress.

5. Funding raising and fluctuations: The project funds may undergo multiple reviews, adjustments, and even interruptions.

6. Technical capabilities and supply chain limitations: Some key technologies and materials may rely on imports or have an imperfect domestic supply chain, affecting the progress.

7. The comparison with China further reinforces this impression: China is technologically mature, experienced, and organizationally efficient in complex bridge construction, and the construction period of similar scale and technical difficulty is usually measured in "years" rather than "decades". This huge contrast makes India's 23-year construction period stand out particularly, inadvertently exposing its systematic efficiency bottlenecks and governance problems.

- [ ] Strong national pride and political symbolic significance: Symbol of national achievements: Prime Minister Modi personally inaugurated the bridge, shaping it into a symbol of national will, engineering capabilities, and overcoming difficulties (including geographical and political ones). It was used to boost national pride and convey the message "India can do it too". Political propaganda tool: During election periods or when it is necessary to boost public support, the completion of large infrastructure projects serves as a powerful political propaganda material. High-profile celebrations aim to showcase the government's achievements and capabilities, serving the domestic political agenda.

- [ ] The romanticization of "Sky Bridge": This name itself carries a strong sense of national sentiment, intended to elevate its status in the hearts of the people and surpass its actual function as a transportation facility.

- [ ] Demand for modernization and regional connectivity: Despite the challenges, the bridge's completion indeed serves practical needs. It significantly improves railway connectivity between the Jammu-Kashmir region and mainland India, holding great significance for regional economic development and strategic security. This reflects India's real-world needs to strengthen internal connectivity, promote development in underdeveloped areas, and consolidate control over remote territories.

- [ ] The sense of high value brought by "scarcity": As mentioned, such bridges are "commonplace" in China. But in India, due to the relative scarcity of high-difficulty, large-scale infrastructure projects, every successfully completed and operational project appears extremely precious. Naturally, it receives far more attention and celebration than its actual technical difficulty (by international standards). Scarcity increases value.

In summary, India's "high-profile hype" over the Chenab Bridge reflects:

- A "long-awaited sense of achievement" and "desire to catch up": Celebrating breakthroughs in its own infrastructure capabilities and pursuing international status.

- Inadvertent exposure of its efficiency bottlenecks: The lengthy construction period has become a window for the outside world to observe flaws in India's governance system and execution capabilities.

- Strong nationalism and political considerations: Using it as a political symbol to rally public morale, showcase political achievements, and enhance national image.

- The amplifying effect of infrastructure "scarcity": Due to the lack of similar successful cases, a single project is endowed with extremely high symbolic value.

This state is a complex mix, containing both commendable achievements and development needs, while clearly exposing its structural challenges (efficiency, governance, bureaucratic systems). The high-profile celebration itself is both a need to boost domestic confidence and, objectively, through comparison (especially with China), allows the outside world to more profoundly recognize that India still has a long way to go in infrastructure construction.