By Benjamin Lyngdoh
It is an accepted fact that railways contribute to economic vibrancy through fast and efficient transfer of goods thereby opening up employment opportunities for many. The biggest plus point is the decrease in prices of goods due to bulk transportation. One of the economic sectors of Meghalaya that stands to be significantly impacted by the absence of railways is tourism. It can be said that due to this strategic intervention of the Government of India (GOI), tourism of Meghalaya now stands at the crossroads. The railways incentive for development dangles in plain sight, but, no one is willing to take a decisive leap for it. There will be far-reaching consequences unless a wise decision is made.
Literature tells us that the synergy between tourism and railways is enshrined in history. The grand tours of the 17th – 19th century involved the sons and daughters of the British aristocracy travelling throughout Europe (in particular France and Italy) to improve on their knowledge. The tour was a necessary part of the training of future administrators and political leaders. The fag end of the grand tours (19th century) which culminated with the industrial revolution was mainly driven by railways. The industrial revolution in Europe created the base for mass tourism whereby there was a rapid growth of wealth and education level of the middle class and which as a result led to an increase of leisure time and a demand for holiday and tourism activities. This demand for travel was mostly met by railways.
Further, Thomas Cook (1808-1892, considered as the father of modern tourism) utilized the then new railway technology to organize inexpensive journeys for the new working class created in the industrialization processes of United Kingdom. His organizational skills and foresight started to pay-off in profits from the 1850s onwards. Cook’s business model of short train journeys in England expanded in scope and in industrial organisation to develop all-inclusive tours to the great exhibition in Paris in 1855 and then to destinations around the world such as India, Egypt and Jerusalem. Modern tour packages can be traced back to Thomas Cook and the driving force was railways. The point to be noted is that Cook was not motivated by business profits alone, but, by the broad social agenda which underpinned his efforts.
The three popular luxury tourist trains in India are Maharajas’ Express (owned and operated by IRCTC with routes in north-west India), Golden Chariot (operated by Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation with routes in south India) and Palace on Wheels (joint collaboration between Indian Railways and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation with routes in north India). Luxury tourist trains are primarily government owned/run with itineraries of about a week. Importantly, they have business collaborations with local suppliers who provide them with most of the raw materials and human resources at destination specific locations. For example, when the train halts at Agra the local transport operators get the benefit of taking the tourist to The Taj Mahal and other spots. Now, if GOI has invested heavily in north-eastern railway connectivity then the probability of luxury tourist trains being introduced becomes viable. In fact, this is already happening with Indian Railways operating Vande Bharat Train and Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AS Tourist Train for ‘north-east discovery tour’. GOI is moving fast on the matter while the issue of railways in Meghalaya continues to remain in a sulk mode. The railways incentive is dangling like a carrot for all to see but no one is willing to jump for it. If this continues into the near future then Meghalaya tourism shall be at a disadvantage as far as attracting high-end tourists is concerned. The other parts of north-east India will quickly grab the opportunity and this is likely to hit tourism stakeholders of Meghalaya like a bolt from the blue!
The fusion between railways and tourism can reap huge benefits for Meghalaya. Its scenic beauty and cultural richness are the strong points. The addition of luxury tourist trains would provide a different and more valued view of the tourist attractions. This would also open up many self-employment opportunities. This includes direct opportunities such as shops and services at the railway station and indirect opportunities such as suppliers of raw materials and agri-produce to the stations.
It is true that the employment positions in the trains to be run by Indian Railways/IRCTC would be competed at the All-India level. However, there are many Meghalaya students who have passed out from business studies, tourism and hospitality with a good chance of grabbing the opportunities available. Further, ever since the state government has been talking about high-end tourism, there has been a search for a trigger point to initiate the process. In recent times, it has been tried through luxury cars, festivals like Meghalayan Age, etc. However, they have small scope of making a big impact as one that is required for high-end tourism to take-off. That way, railways are the answer to the initiation of high-end tourism purely on account of its scale, viable pricing, services, comfort and leisure. As is seen in the cases of other luxury tourist trains in India, such services are availed by tourist who are willing to spend but are on the lookout for excellent service quality. Meghalaya tourism can cash in on this and this is one area which needs serious brainstorming and strategizing.
The demand for ILP remains a hurdle for railways. Going by the number of years the struggle for ILP has been on and a strategic delay and silence by both the central and state governments, it shall be a never-ending saga. Especially now with the gradual roll out of MRSSA, there is a chance that the ILP struggle will start losing steam. The best way forward then is for the State Government and all the pressure groups to revisit the issue and have a new perspective to things. A starting point can be a study of the Mendipathar station in North Garo Hills. A dialogue based on facts and logic is the best way out. In the entire scheme of things, civil society too will have to come out and make their stand clear. Their long- standing silence is only hindering a breakthrough on the matter. Now, data and observations show that tourism in Garo Hills has been growing and gaining in popularity ever since the decline of GNLA in 2018. If the region moves forward and embraces railways across its plains and hill areas, then they will reap many benefits from it. Garo Hill is no less than Khasi-Jaintia Hills in terms of natural beauty and cultural richness. Combine this with its unique selling proposition of wildlife and biodiversity tourism, then who is to say that they will not be pioneers of railways tourism in Meghalaya?
In the end, the railways incentive that is being taken by the other north-eastern states will pinch the masses of Meghalaya. That way, it is just a matter of time before railway connectivity comes to Meghalaya as well. This will only happen when the masses get tired of government indecisiveness and pressure groups posturing on the issue. (Email – [email protected])