What to expect in Rail Budget 2008

What Probir Ghose wrote on sulekha blog about Indian Railway Budget 2008

The time for the Railway Budget 2008 is fast approaching – by this time next week we would be more knowledgeable on what Laloo-ji has finally given to the commoner. Normally, promises are made left right and centre but very few of these translate into positive action and visible results within the given time frame. He has not increased the train fare as such but there have been discreet increases that add up to substantial amounts given the crores of passengers that travel on the Indian railways. That is neither here nor there – he has to run the establishment and commoners have to bear with him and his railway board members who dream up those wonderful projects. Introduction of Cyber cafés on the railway platforms, providing mobile phone charging points in the train compartments, serving of international brand snacks in the trains, and redesigning the sleeper coaches so that the passengers can maneuver their luggage more easily etcetera are done in keeping with the basic philosophy of stepping ahead with the times. These are in line with the e-ticketing concept.

However, when one comes to discussions on other matters where the Railways need to be more serious are the miserable condition of the toilets in the reserved compartments – these depict the sad state of affairs. Agreed that a majority of people love the open air surroundings during their mandatory morning outings to empty the internal wastes, there is no justification of the dirty and filthy surroundings inside the compartments. The water taps, the wash basins, the mirror and the door locking mechanism are such that these result in avoidance by the travelers. Added to these are the crowds of unreserved persons who occupy the space in front of and around the toilets. The situation is similar in the ordinary sleeper as well as the air conditioned sleeper coaches. And, in order to keep the compartments clean and do regular sweeping, the railways encourage the urchins who keep coming one after another – armed with brooms , these kids are in many cases handicapped – if this is a method of the railways to do their bit for the handicapped, they deserve to be congratulated. That is not usually the case – the children owe their allegiance to other masters who control them from outside. There is no love lost between them – the kids have to count out their earnings to the bosses who hand out the appropriate doles at the end of the day. These might be in cash or in kind – kind is the favored option: especially for the girl kids.
Quite recently, the Railway Minister had taken to task some officers who had not lived upto his expectations down South and had not served him proper food – however, the quality of food that one has become accustomed in the trains is pathetic. The helpless passengers have to grin and bear it all. Due to the large volume of passengers, the catering staff have to cope with tremendous rush – hence, the personal touch that used to be there during the 60s has vanished. Today, they all talk business – the staff has their tasks cut-out: the new recruits move around with the thermos that contains hot white water – the whiteness is courtesy milk. This universal concoction for hot drinks is accompanied with tea bags of unknown brands and a bottle of coffee powder. Depending on the choice of the customer, the outputs of the two main hot drunks of the Indian public are served. Come meal times, the orders are taken several hours in advance and served at times that one does not normally associate with either lunch or dinner.

Then are the Supermen of the Railways better known as the TTEs (Travelling Ticket Examiners). Inside the compartment, they are supreme and are supposed to ensure many important things that must be written down somewhere but that is seldom followed in practice. One presumes that the TTEs should look into the comfort of the passengers who dish out extra money for getting firm reservations. However, the reserved compartments are invariably the place where short distance travelers hop in and squeeze themselves in between the tired travelers. ‘I will go only upto the next stop,’ he pleads – the ‘next stop’ in long distance trains might very well be four hours away! Those who possess valid reservations are, therefore, put to a lot of inconvenience due to the attitude of TTEs who never try to prevent such intrusions. Obviously, the argument gains ground that the TTEs earn money on the sly by permitting such irregularities.
While giving the finishing touches to the 2008 budget proposals, the Railway Minister should spare a thought for its customers and consider methods to eliminate irritants that passengers have to face in their journeys. When one reserves a berth for a long distance journey, he has certain expectations – the railways should reciprocate by making the journey as pleasant as possible for the traveler so that the expectations are fulfilled.