A huge stumbling block in the way of India's growth

Bureaucratic hurdles may cause India's government to miss 2012 investment targets in key sectors such as roads, railways and ports, potentially crimping economic growth, an adviser to the planning commission said recently.

Slow progress to overhaul India's crumbling infrastructure has long been seen a drag on growth, as Asia's third-largest economy looks to match the double digit expansion of neighbouring China.

Gajendra Haldea, a Planning Commission adviser, said the government was on track to meet its target to spend $500 billion on infrastructure between 2007 and 2012, with more than a third funded by private investors.

But progress across sectors has been uneven.

Image: A man looks at vehicles stuck in a road that caved in after heavy rains in Ahmedabad in 2008.

Text: Reuters

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