Journey to Hell

There was a time when ministers used to resign, owning up moral responsibility, even for a single rail accident. That Lal Bahadur Shastri did it is well known and much spoken about. If my memory is not betraying me badly, I remember the same principle being followed till 1980. But not any more, of course. Like everything else, the railways has become an arena of petty politics, and not an institution of public service.

It was 1976, and I was traveling from Bombay (it was not Mumbai) to Calcutta by the Bombay-Howrah Mail via Allahabad. On the second evening, when the train was entering Allahabad Jn station, we were served dinner. It was a deliciously hot mutton-curry and rice, served on fine china plates, brought on trays along with knives and forks. During mid-90s I traveled extensively all over India by train, many times by sleeper class. Though the grandeur of china, knife and fork were missing, the food served was something that would fill you.

Fast forward to 2009. I was traveling from Delhi to Allahabad by the North-East Exp. The lunch served was a couple of rubbery puris and and aloo sabji with a lot of curry and very few peices of aloo. Imagine if you have to travel all the way to Guwahati! Then 2010. I was traveling again from Delhi-Allahabad by the Kalka Mail. The lunch consisted of few grains of chana-daal, very poor quality rice, rubbery puri, and exactly three thin slices of parwal as an excuse of sabji.


Well, you can still survive without food for a day. But how about accidents? The kinds of which happened with Jnaneswari Exp and at Sainthia, to name just the most recent ones? The message coming out of the government is none is responsible. Ex-ministers are busy lambasting Mamata-Didi while their own records are nothing much to show off. The Congress party is busy guarding its precious ally, the TMC. Pranab-babu is on record saying `No one can predict accidents, that is why they are accidents'.

Well, Pranab-babu, most Indians could do without this profound wisdom of yours. They have a little more intelligence than what you believe. What we are talking about is not predicting accidents, but preventing them. Do you or your wise political colleagues have any idea how to do that? Or do you think our lives are worth nothing more than a few lakh rupees, and these junk statements of your ilk?

Now as enraged as we are about your callous attitude and statements, two more shockers were on the way. The railway declared (1) none fell ill in the Mumbai-Howrah Duranto Express a couple of days ago. (News channels showed angry passengers complaining about falling ill after eating stale food that also contained cockroaches); (2) coupling between the engine and the coaches detachted twice in the Delhi-Patna Rajdhani Exp. The first one shows that the Railway considers all those who complained about falling ill to be liars!!! Not just apathy, but ignominy to follow that.

Surely, the journey by Indian Raiways have become a journey to Hell.