Indian Railways: Off track?

Yet another rail mishap in the month of June 2003! The number of mishaps this year must have moved into double digits by now.

What is the deal with the Indian Railways? Isn't it the largest employer in the world of railway personnel? Don't we have a seperate railway budget that is presented even before the national budget? Doesn't that mean we give priority to our railways? Then, how many more "operator errors" have to occur before we wake-up to the fact that our railways have to be revamped?

Indian railways transport 11 million people every day. Statistically the loss of life may be lesser than on our roads. (Our roads kill 40,000 people a year, if I got my numbers right). But the Indian railway scenario is pretty shabby if you compare it to the levels of safety other countries have achieved in the railway sector. If the number of railway mishaps that occured in 2003 happened anywhere else, it would have gotten the country up in arms!

Is the Indian public memory that short or are we indifferent to what happens in our country? Are these mishaps not focussing events that should dictate policy? If India can spend 60,000 crores on developing new roads (golden quadrilateral project) over the next 5 years, can it not afford to spend the 15,000 crores that the government has estimated as the amount required for improving railway safety. Surely India should be able to finance the improvements to our antiquated system with railway bonds.

I have long cherished all my train journeys in southern India. I am of the opinion that the Indian railways is the ultimate mode of transportation for our subcontinent. Hence it distresses me to hear about all the mishaps hurting our railways and also our country.

When will the policy makers wake-up? Will they ever let us see the light at the end of this tunnel?