By R. N. Malhotra
On July 30 fire on board the New Delhi- Chennai Tamil Nadu Express burnt to death 32 passengers, and injured scores. Tragic but not surprising. Train accidents are frequent in our country. Small and big, sometimes making headlines sometimes ignored. When it comes to major railway disasters around the world, we are close to the top.
Thousands are killed in railway accidents in India each year. Of these, about 15,000 die in level crossings and other disasters on the tracks. But the deaths of “squatters”‘ and others don’t bother us too much. The accidents or blasts that kill passengers do. We scream in shock and horror, our netas rush about exhibiting grief, even the prime minister expresses deep concern. That done, we heave a sigh, sit back and wait for the next accident.
It’s not that we don’t talk of safety. It’s just that we fail to do anything about it. The Indian railways have many distinguishing features. It is among the world’s largest rail networks. It is one of the world’s most unsafe railways. It is also among the world’s most budget friendly. And one of the world’s oldest. It is 150- year- old and most of its infrastructure remains the way the British built it. More than 50,000 of our rail bridges are over 100- years old. Tracks and coaches are almost as ancient. The signalling system is pretty decrepit too, and has tragically failed to plug into the wondrous developments in information technology even as we wax eloquent about the information age. Why? Because the railways are almost bankrupt. And modernizing needs money. Which our clever politicians refuse to raise from the fares passengers are willing to give.
Indian train fares are amongst the lowest in the world. For ages, rail ministers have been keeping us happy by not raising passenger fares. Poor Dinesh Trivedi had tried, and see where it got him. Out of the railway minister’s chair and into the doghouse. His leader and former railway minister Mamata Banerjee raged like a typhoon, called the move anti- people, hauled him over the coals and snatched the ministry from him to give it to her pet devotee Mukul Roy. Who swiftly declared that there will be no passenger fare hike, and that he will aspire to emulate the “golden age”‘ of the railways under Mamata Banerjee. Never mind that under his marvellous leader the railways had slipped into near bankruptcy, when a rash of unsustainable new projects and new trains sprung up at the cost of safety.
So like Mamata Banerjee, Mukul Roy spends most of his time in Kolkata, away from his office in the Rail Bhavan. Also like his leader, following a terrible train accident, he hints at sabotage rather than looking at possible safety glitches, which he did now as well, when news of this accident reached him, as he hung out in Kolkata instead of rushing to the accident site.
This is the third major train accident in India since Mukul Roy took over as railway minister in March this year. He has learnt to concentrate more on keeping Didi happy and running her errands rather than rushing over to accident sites like novice ministers. And why would he be in Delhi clearing files and doing honest work if he can get better returns simply by sticking close to his leader?
The fire on the Tamil Nadu Express that killed scores of trapped passengers clearly points to the inadequate fire alarm system and fire fighting equipment on board. It also suggests that safety measures were ignored, perhaps due to inadequate infrastructure, technology and manpower. As the investigation progresses, we will find out more. But I doubt that we will essentially know more than what we already do that our old and decrepit railway network needs to urgently modernize, fill vacancies, install better safety systems and equipment, focus on routine maintenance and implement the grand new safety plans that politicians announce.
The Kakodkar Committee’s report on railway safety last year found grave faults with the system and suggested a Rs. 1 lakh crore safety makeover. And the Pitroda Committee recommended an investment of Rs. 5.6 lakh crore for modernisation and better services. Where will this money come from? Just the running cost of railways takes up 95 per cent of its earnings, leaving no surplus for such vital changes. The railway has about 1.5 lakh vacancies in safety departments which it cannot fill. And it has no money for new signalling systems, coaches, locomotives or tracks. In fact, tracks are so overused that even regular maintenance is hardly done.
Yet our railway ministers — at present both the puppet in absentia and the puppet master refuse to hike fares. Instead, they offer new trains, new stations, new routes, and new dreams. Populism rules, governance is of little consequence.
Our ministers believe that hiking train fares is “anti- people”. Killing people by systemic negligence is not. Unleashing new, faster trains that clog up the tracks and make maintenance work near impossible is pro- people. Making heavier, faster, airconditioned trains run over precarious ancient bridges not designed for such loads is pro- people. But trying to make journeys safer by making the passenger pay a little more is not. Announcing new technology is pro- people. Trying to implement it is not, because that would need money, which would come from the people, through raised fares or taxes.
At the moment, Mukul Roy has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs. 5 lakh, and a job to one family member, for every passenger killed in July 30 accident. And a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh for anyone with grave injuries and Rs. 25,000 for the less injured. Why do our politicians believe that it makes better economic sense to frequently shell out money after our numerous accidents rather than investing upfront to prevent such tragedies? INAV