The Railways saga...
Study 1: 14.02.2009
"What’s in Rs 90,000 crore??" is the question then.. Its a bloody humungous amount thats what!! To think of a public sector undertaking in India accumulating that amount of profit in five years is sincerely interesting and awe- inspiring.. Yep, thats the "cash surplus" the Indian railways has piled up in the 5 yrs of Mr. Lalu's tenure..Our esteemed union railways minister really deserves accolades for the insurmountable turnaround he has allegedly brought about, especially when the public subsidiary was facing almost certain bankruptcy some years back.. The extent of popularity of his laurels can be gauged by the fact that students from Harvard university flew down to India for a lecture..The Indian railways has been transformed from a bulky ‘elephant’ to a swift 'cheetah' for sure..
Study 2 14.02.2009
At least 12 people were killed and many others injured when the superfast coromandel express derailed in Orissa, once again planting a question mark on the vulnerability of the system. As the railways minister announced compensation for the victims, 3 possible reasons for the derailment were cited by local officials- an inexperienced driver, poor condition of tracks or malfunctioning of the old and dilapidated shifting track system.. It'll have to be sheer neglect if not inadequacy of funds as the reason behind it..
"What’s in Rs 90,000 crore??" is the question then.. Its a bloody humungous amount thats what!! To think of a public sector undertaking in India accumulating that amount of profit in five years is sincerely interesting and awe- inspiring.. Yep, thats the "cash surplus" the Indian railways has piled up in the 5 yrs of Mr. Lalu's tenure..Our esteemed union railways minister really deserves accolades for the insurmountable turnaround he has allegedly brought about, especially when the public subsidiary was facing almost certain bankruptcy some years back.. The extent of popularity of his laurels can be gauged by the fact that students from Harvard university flew down to India for a lecture..The Indian railways has been transformed from a bulky ‘elephant’ to a swift 'cheetah' for sure..
Study 2 14.02.2009
At least 12 people were killed and many others injured when the superfast coromandel express derailed in Orissa, once again planting a question mark on the vulnerability of the system. As the railways minister announced compensation for the victims, 3 possible reasons for the derailment were cited by local officials- an inexperienced driver, poor condition of tracks or malfunctioning of the old and dilapidated shifting track system.. It'll have to be sheer neglect if not inadequacy of funds as the reason behind it..
Study 3 11.02.2009
A report by Hindustan Times, a leading daily in Delhi, portrayed the appalling standards in the coaches of one of the busiest routes of the Indian railways. Filthy toilets, scores of rats and roaches, smelly bedrolls and poor hospitality are frequent problems most passengers have to deal with.. With garbage strewn around and unhygienic food being served, the travel is no less than an ordeal most of the times. The conclusion reached was that the services on Indian railways had well, exacerbated.. Sheer neglect again i would say..
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The 'cause and effect relationship' is defied here I reckon.. The railways might be basking in glory for the financial heights it has reached but the truth is travelers continue to endure all these adversities (primarily due to neglect) for the uncomplicated plausible reason that there actually is no other affordable means of transport for long distances suitable to the populous lower and lower middle class groups.. The railways should be deemed more than just a profit vending machine and the time has come it should try to measure up some justice to its financial records for it to really set an exemplification in public sector governance..
*-----------------*--------------------*
The 'cause and effect relationship' is defied here I reckon.. The railways might be basking in glory for the financial heights it has reached but the truth is travelers continue to endure all these adversities (primarily due to neglect) for the uncomplicated plausible reason that there actually is no other affordable means of transport for long distances suitable to the populous lower and lower middle class groups.. The railways should be deemed more than just a profit vending machine and the time has come it should try to measure up some justice to its financial records for it to really set an exemplification in public sector governance..
Comments
well india cant get enough ever i guess.. thnx 4 visiting:)
newspapers do help..!! keep visiting :)
''The railways should be deemed more than just a profit vending machine and the time has come it should try to measure up some justice to its financial records for it to really set an exemplification in public sector governance..''
I agree..
yep cool... whatever..i made my point..thnx 4 visiting:)
@indyeah
travelling by train sure is a pain, specially in the general compartments.. but the common man has no other alternative.. the airlines can help if they reduce their prices beyond logic :0 keep visiting:)
@som
the amt of profits they are generating here is comparable to the developed nations and still the accidents are more prominent.. and the conditions, the lesser said the better :) thnx...
A recent 12 hour train trip in AC-III tier was nightmarish for me. I felt like puking when I entered the bathroom, not to mention the compartment in general. If that is how it is in AC-III, I wonder how it in general class, assuming that it is even more neglected and without sounding elitist:-).
Btw, I wonder if these profits exclude the millions of commuters who travel W/o ticket everyday, how much would it be if those people are forced to buy tickets
thanks for narrating ur experience.. it proves the point i'm tryin to make..and its true that more than 50 perc of local commuters travel without tickets, i suppose this is another example of the 'inefficient mgmnt' that our railways has..