Laloofication of the Railways
Well, What to say , though , a lot to say. Ever since Laloo ji has become Rail mantri, I have begun to have this uneasy feeling. And this is not without reason , as Laloo has proved it in short span.
I live approximately 1500 km from my home city . Two third of my folks stay there. I and they feel urge to visit each other. Now, we are not richie-rich. We lie somewhere in middle of middle-middle class and upper-middle class. So traveling by our domestic Maharaja or any other airlines is out of bounds. That leaves us at the mercy of the largest employer in the world ,under single administration. We are not alone, though, there are some 1.3 crores people, who use it's services daily. Given this staggering number , one expects the system to be efficient. It's far from it, but somehow just about manages.
So when Laloo laid his hands over the ministry, I winced. I am not talking about the fiscal deficit, reform process etc in Railways. There , Laloo will do no more bad than his predecessors. It's the sheer quality (or the lack of it) of train travel that has me concerned. My inkling is that it will grow from bad to worse in 5 years to come. Please observe the following ominous signs .
-There has been a sudden spurt in robberies, dacoities, killings in trains, especially in Bihar and Jharkhand. Laloo doesn't care, as better half Rabri quips --"Jab bhai hi bhai ko maar raha hai, to kya ker lijiyega"
-Already we've had two major accidents. Laloo says- " Jab train baithiyega, to passenger Ram bharosey". God save us.
-He has introduced kullhads for beverages. I guess, daily passengers will face risk of running kidney/gall bladders stones a few years down the line.
-Mattha, sattu will be served in trains. With no checks or standards existing, people will reach hospitals instead of their destinations.
-All the blankets and covers in AC cars will be of khadi. Laloo does a la Mahatma Gandhi choosing to ignore that khadi is highly inflammable.
-He started sending vegetables from Bihar to Delhi. Idea didn't last more than a day because all the vegetables perished.
-He mooted the idea that all day trains should have no reservations. Every wagon should be general. Makes sense because in Bihar , every train compartment, reserved or otherwise is rendered as general. Eve teasing would be fun for goons.
-AC fares should be increased by 10 %. Already passengers in them pay more than it's double cost. I see them increasing with compound rates in future.
Safety is at back burner. Laloo doesn't give a damn. We should thank our stars that PM is Manmohan Singh. He blocked most of the Tuglaqi ideas and saved us from the blues. But for how long is anybody's guess!!! As they say, "Bakrey ki Amma kabtak khair manaigi".
I live approximately 1500 km from my home city . Two third of my folks stay there. I and they feel urge to visit each other. Now, we are not richie-rich. We lie somewhere in middle of middle-middle class and upper-middle class. So traveling by our domestic Maharaja or any other airlines is out of bounds. That leaves us at the mercy of the largest employer in the world ,under single administration. We are not alone, though, there are some 1.3 crores people, who use it's services daily. Given this staggering number , one expects the system to be efficient. It's far from it, but somehow just about manages.
So when Laloo laid his hands over the ministry, I winced. I am not talking about the fiscal deficit, reform process etc in Railways. There , Laloo will do no more bad than his predecessors. It's the sheer quality (or the lack of it) of train travel that has me concerned. My inkling is that it will grow from bad to worse in 5 years to come. Please observe the following ominous signs .
-There has been a sudden spurt in robberies, dacoities, killings in trains, especially in Bihar and Jharkhand. Laloo doesn't care, as better half Rabri quips --"Jab bhai hi bhai ko maar raha hai, to kya ker lijiyega"
-Already we've had two major accidents. Laloo says- " Jab train baithiyega, to passenger Ram bharosey". God save us.
-He has introduced kullhads for beverages. I guess, daily passengers will face risk of running kidney/gall bladders stones a few years down the line.
-Mattha, sattu will be served in trains. With no checks or standards existing, people will reach hospitals instead of their destinations.
-All the blankets and covers in AC cars will be of khadi. Laloo does a la Mahatma Gandhi choosing to ignore that khadi is highly inflammable.
-He started sending vegetables from Bihar to Delhi. Idea didn't last more than a day because all the vegetables perished.
-He mooted the idea that all day trains should have no reservations. Every wagon should be general. Makes sense because in Bihar , every train compartment, reserved or otherwise is rendered as general. Eve teasing would be fun for goons.
-AC fares should be increased by 10 %. Already passengers in them pay more than it's double cost. I see them increasing with compound rates in future.
Safety is at back burner. Laloo doesn't give a damn. We should thank our stars that PM is Manmohan Singh. He blocked most of the Tuglaqi ideas and saved us from the blues. But for how long is anybody's guess!!! As they say, "Bakrey ki Amma kabtak khair manaigi".
posted by Unknown at 5:39 PM
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