India is still one of the places in the world where manual labor is cheaper than machinery. The other interesting thing about this scene to me is that the sign is completely incidental to the roadwork. In general terms, India is one of those places where you are expected not to be stupid, unlike the US. For example, on the sidewalk near my hotel, there's a stretch of concrete rectangles that are covering about a 2-3 foot drop into a rain drain. Only there are at least 2 missing rectangles. No signs, warnings, no orange cones--if you are going to walk on the sidewalk, you should be smart enough not to fall into the gaps.
In the top picture, there is no yellow barricade tape to warn you not to back into the big hole in the road (let alone run over the guy working on the hole). If you are going to drive in India, you should be smart enough not to back into big holes in the street. Apparently we have exported many things but we have not exported the notion that you can sue someone else if you have done something stupid. I find it kind of refreshing. =)
The next day there was a barricade around the place where the guy was digging. Not to protect the guy or the hole, but to make sure you don't ruin the wet concrete.
India is still one of the places in the world where manual labor is cheaper than machinery. The other interesting thing about this scene to me is that the sign is completely incidental to the roadwork. In general terms, India is one of those places where you are expected not to be stupid, unlike the US. For example, on the sidewalk near my hotel, there's a stretch of concrete rectangles that are covering about a 2-3 foot drop into a rain drain. Only there are at least 2 missing rectangles. No signs, warnings, no orange cones--if you are going to walk on the sidewalk, you should be smart enough not to fall into the gaps. 
In the top picture, there is no yellow barricade tape to warn you not to back into the big hole in the road (let alone run over the guy working on the hole). If you are going to drive in India, you should be smart enough not to back into big holes in the street. Apparently we have exported many things but we have not exported the notion that you can sue someone else if you have done something stupid. I find it kind of refreshing. =)
The next day there was a barricade around the place where the guy was digging. Not to protect the guy or the hole, but to make sure you don't ruin the wet concrete.
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