Surojit Mahalanobis
This year’s Railway Budget seems all set to give lip-service to development. Bullet trains, which are the preserves of the affluent citizens of the country, would definitely give wings to imagination of all, but fail to serve the purpose to ensure the greatest happiness to the largest number of travellers, which quality good governance demands. This demand is also the call of democracy.
This year is important for railways, because the government in power has promised for the first time the long-held wish-list. They are: (i) modernisation of coaches, (ii) world-class railway stations, (iii) new tracks enough to take the loads and pressures of increasing traffic for new trains, and (iv) quality catering.
For the first time in the history of the Railways, post-Second Plan, these areas have been given assurances to be the railways ministry’s priority.
However, a number of grassroots areas seem to have missed the scanning eyes.
One: All railway stations need to have concrete ramps and/or escalators especially for the elderly, women with heavy baggage or weights or bundles, and the physically-challenged travelers. It is railways ministry’s duty to make platforms commuter-friendly, especially for these marginalised communities. As of now, the hapless passengers cross platforms amid panic and tension, braving chaotic and bad arrangements for commutation.
Never once in last about seven decades (after the Second Plan when the railways were launched in India) our railway ministers cared to think about these primary requirements of disadvantaged travellers who are also citizens and voters.
Two: The old coaches are the snagging points in trains. If you have landed up in the lower window side berth initially offered to the RAC travellers, you often have to make do with a divided bed to give you protruding track-bumps during your journey. Attendants at times provide temporary cushioning by stuffing underneath the divide a spare blanket or bed sheet or even daily newspapers. The two ends of the divided berth do not have quality manufacturing excellence to meet seamlessly, compromising passengers’ sleep and travel-time comfort.
The old coaches are also not decked up with modern-day travelling needs, as commuters today wield mobile phones, laptops etc. They ask for large windows for adequate space for sight-shoots too, and leg-rooms to stretch.
The new coaches are also no different. These may have modern-day amenities like adequate plug-points for recharges, but most points may not always work. The cracked windowpanes may not have been replaced before the train was brought to the originating platform. The toilets may not have the amenities the modern travelers would look for.
All these problems still pertain to the AC Reserved two-three-tier compartments. What happens to the general and non-AC reserved sleeper bogies?
The seats and berths are sold at originating platform by the mucho-coolies at unforeseen premiums, tacitly supported by travelling ticket examiners, who may have a share in the pooled booty. If the non-AC compartment has reserved berths for travelers, they would find newer passengers coming with the same reserved berth numbers, and claiming rights. Thus ensue quarrels, for the entire journey.
The passengers are left onto the mercy of other invading passengers at every station the train halts, and the ‘reserved seats-and-berths’ become the currants mightily grabbed by the muscled invaders.
The passengers are hapless here too, once duped over the assured comfort, they have to travel folded in single-seats, if not forced into standing to sway with the train’s rhythm.
These are very small things considering the urge to catch up with the railways in China, Japan, South Korea or even Singapore, the railway minister would agree. But do these small things matter with the authorities in those countries, where quality is practiced as daily norm? Don’t ask such questions, please.
Three: Railways Minister Sadananda Gowad promised to improve quality, hygiene of onboard catering service, provide variety, introduce pre-cooked (ready-to-eat) meals by reputed brands in a phased manner. Again for the privileged class travelling in the AC reserved compartments. Are they his majority voters?
However, he believes these measures would bring perceptible improvement in catering services. Mr Gowda also proposed to introduce Quality Assurance Mechanism through Third Party Audit by NABCB-certified agencies, along with a system of collecting feedback through IVRS mechanism, from the travelling passengers on the quality of food served that will be launched shortly. The minister said, if the service is not up to the standards set, especially in hygiene and taste, severe action would be initiated against the vendors including cancellation of the contract. Always, India trusted the standardisation practices by the agencies, like QCI, BIS, Agmark, ISI etc. the bodies which only give stamps after certain evaluation of processes, but that never ensures quality.
Within the stamped quality packages remain stale flour sticks, unripe rice, half-baked parathas, substandard broth of cooked foods, and stale chicken meat, eggs and you at times fish. Looking from outside, there is nothing wrong in the packaged foods, which are all well-stamped, but there is always absence of quality.
All this three categories of woes in India railways happen because the people who are supposed to work — in the manufacturing floors, do welding, electrifying, fixing, carpentry, cooking and hygienic preservation — require training in all these processes. Our standardisation bodies do not train or teach them. They only ensure rubber stamps when their training is complete. Where are these people actually trained or taught?
We know them. They are at primary government schools, where the teachers remain absent and ill-informed, primary health centres where the doctors and para-medical staff are few and far available, lay youths without idling without any training or education and mushrooming in cities for livelihoods. One thing is common among these youths, they are willing to work. And another thing common in India, is that the authorities do not have correct plans to train and use these youth’s innate capabilities.
Rubber stamps cannot educate anybody, nor can standardize a fool-proof Quality. Once again, during this Twelfth Plan year too, our railway minister’s think-tank overlooked a vital point.
Railways need to infuse skills education of all its staff and associates at its institutes. There are many other things which should be incorporated in the railways system by and by. As you cannot change overnight, you can indeed make the good beginning, sustainable. (IPA)
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