Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'IR needs to scale up its services to global standards' that was published in Newsband

IR needs to scale up its services to global standards

India’s railway network carries millions of people every day, linking the remotest destinations. It needs to scale up its services to global standards. The rot in passenger services has only grown worse. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) provides further evidence that little has changed in the system. Unauthorised items are sold on trains, all endangering the health of passengers. The process of identifying caterers, fixing prices, and ensuring quality control should be transparent and monitored by external auditors.

The NDA government began its tenure with a focus on modernising India’s creaking railways. The findings of the CAG are nothing new. In fact, the sub-standard quality of services in IR is evident as soon as one steps in a Railway station or boards a train. The other aspect that is not yet came to limelight is, IR manipulating the train running statuses through National Train Enquiry Service (NTES).

IR should look to mitigate the factors resulting in train delays instead of manipulating the online statuses. The common public would be happier to travel in existing trains that runs on time rather than boarding imaginary 'Bullet trains'.

IR should first solve the perennial problem faced by commuters in railways. Though measures for increasing efficiency are being initiated, the basic problems are not being addressed adequately so that railways could attract many travellers and earn more profits in future.

The following are the problems that IR needs to solve: (1) Railway employees travel with passes, but without making entry of their journey. (2)  Transgenders harrass bonafide passengers. Railway officials show misplaced sympathy for them. (3) Trains and stations are unhygienic. (4) Unauthorised vendors and beggars make the travel very uncomfortable. (5) TTEs show no interest to solve any problem or listen to a complaint. (6) Train compartments are old and need refurbishing. (7) Security on trains has become very rare; thefts and other crimes have become common.

The sordid catering of Rlys, have suffered more due to lack of responsibility with the services rendered. Catering by IRCTC, which is considered more professional than the time rejected departments, is only like shifting from one hand to another. Most of the same Rly men get into IRCTC to continue an almost substandard attitude towards work ethics .The shocking revelation of blankets not cleaned for years show the poor standard of supervision. This is despite Rlys having spent several crores in acquiring mechanised power, laundries and many contractors in recent years. When catering was corporatised through IRCTC, initially the supply was conforming to standards. They whittled because of corrupt supervision and a non-responding system. A direct FB post or "E" mail to minister can only be here and there intervention. What is required is thorough cleansing with fixation of clear responsibility. Due punishment for failures including top management can change the corrupt stink.

In a country where almost all things within all administrative machinery starting from the Presidential Office/PMO right through down to the lowest Village Office levels are steeped and fully clothed by rampant corruption with absolutely no practical mechanism to modify or correct those terrible slap on the Tax paying public, what can One Railways do differently. The malady of TOTAL CORRUPTION is the root cause for all that have been "found out" by the CAG in this case of railway's Catering Services - and as if other things were different and OK?

Railway services were widely in shoddy business practises as far as passengers are concerned for quite a long time. CAG reports is testimony to suffering of passengers. Time is high to bring Poor people's transportation services in order. This is must for developing and fastest growing economic country like India.