IR doesn’t need a reset, it needs clean reboot now – What needs to be done?
“Modi ji, What happens when officer becomes vendor and vendor becomes minister!”
On 04.06.2023 we addressed Hon’ble PM: “बालासोर का भयावह हादसा शुरुआत है रेलवे के आने वाले भयंकर दिनों की प्रधानमंत्री जी!” We also wrote that: “हर बार इस तरह के हादसों को गलत मोड़ देकर ऐसे हादसों के बहाने मासूम लोगों की लाश पर रेलवे में इसे भाँति-भाँति के काम के नाम पर पैसा खर्च करने के धंधे में बदल दिया जाता है, जिससे रेल की स्थिति तो कभी सुधरती नहीं है, लेकिन हजारों भ्रष्ट अधिकारी/कर्मचारी/व्यापारी लोग करोड़पति हो जाते हैं गिद्ध की तरह रेल को नोच-नोचकर, इसीलिए रेल लगातार दरिद्र और बदहाल होती चली जा रही है।” This is unfortunate modus operandi which has systematically denuded #IndianRailways. Money gets spent but nothing improves on #safety.
#PM sir, Please ask your expert-if #Kavach can prevent a #Balasore which you attended as PM or a #Samlaiya which you attended as #CM in 2005. No, it cannot act if underlying problem is what was found in so many incidents like Balasore. It needs honest, focused hard work with no short cuts like a surgeon.
We also linked our tweet dtd. 03.06.2023: Did #JayaVarmaSinha madam tell you that Balasore was sixth such reported incident in six months? Why should we be satisfied with what happened. We need to understand why it happened and what are we doing to prevent them. Why then #government chose to give her #extension and accommodation in #CAT? Was misleading you not crime enough?
It is common knowledge that Commissioner of Railway Safety (#CRS) reports are routinely managed with very few exceptions like that of CRS who investigated Balasore. #CRS-Reports need to be made #public and open to #scrutiny by rail community at least. Officers who preside over major #accidents do not get affected even a bit unlike in past when major #accident finished an officer’s career at the very least.
On 26.06.2023 we published: “Root Cause Analysis of Poor Safety Record of Indian Railways in last 2 years” and on 27.06.2023 we published: “Railways Shamed: Modiji, this ‘Babulal’ will only bring shame and embarrassment!” We explored, “what happens when officer becomes vendor and vendor becomes minister.”
Well this is what happens – incapacity to manage #railways. Now government needs to #reset, #reboot and #restore to clean #operating-system of railways to get rid of Khan Market Gang (#KMG) virus, exploitative #Vigilance network, give support to officers who take decisions. Otherwise country stares at a dark period of 25-30 years.
Why Next 25-30 years are potentially dark
First, #engineers will come in system after a gap of 8-10 years. This window will move till Group ‘B’ officers who will increasingly work under a thinning Group ‘A’ umbrella while having increasing numbers of #subordinates of Group ‘A’ direct recruits, get retired. Only after this can status-quo ante be approached (but not reached).
Point is, traditionally Group ‘B’ remained confined to zones or units they served in subordinate roles-and lacked well rounded grooming which came from more cosmopolitan outlook. IR has to now aggressively invest in giving a well rounded training while changing geographic locations of posting as preparation.
For #civil-services officers this window will be narrower.
What government must do?
Experts say that very immediate first step is that Group ‘B’ selection which is Computer Based Test (#CBT) should have interview and prepare final panel by #NAIR’s interdisciplinary team and not by #Zones.
Secondly, every such #selection should move the officers to different geography. It is important to keep alive this important trait of Indian Railways. This will help in great measure. Group ‘B’ officers working in own unit or zone must be moved to different geography. Today officers from ranks are promoted even in to SAG/NF-SAG in own unit/zone.
Another important decision would be to prepare to use recently recruited #IRMS officers in a rigorous manner to man workshops and key operational assignments panning all civil services sub-cadres and managerial technical services.
Why mere reset is not an answer – Do this Sir!
It is time to make #Stores and #Personnel as ex-cadre assignments. Key backend is in any case #CRIS. #IRAS has to be increasingly merged with executive roles in a clever manner. Officers from different #Railway or sub-cadre can work as associate finance in any functional unit. A healthy mix of IA&AS or IDAS or similar such services can be roped in Zonal HQs.
On engineers, government has to be very hard. Immediate review of 100% officers need to be done and profile officers who have worked in core technological or O&M roles and separate those who have spent time in General Services and administrative or vigilance positions.
It is important to review S&T department. #Telecom function must rope in officers from #Defence and #ITS while on #signalling clever mix of #electrical and #traffic officers must be planned. The hyperbole of Kavach needs to be tempered. Focus has to be on rationalising cable needs, testing procedures, improvement of reliability of signalling gear. Such intermixing can be started from #RDSO. This will try bring system back to basics.
Today, signalling logic becomes secondary to pressures of maintaining point machine motors and mechanisms of point machines or safety from weather. This is a long term effort, but by suitably strengthening RDSO, safety issues will have some semblance of control in short term.
While we introduce more #VandeBharat, we thanked God on 23.06.2023: #Bahangabazar, thank God, it wasn’t #VandeBharat-WAP7 climbed on #BOXN –
Time PM sir, you take to task people who misled you. #DelhiDivision of #NorthernRailway which saw devastating #Khatauli-accident due to failure of multiple departments in multiple stages and death by #electrocution of a young lady in public space shows continued failure of senior divisional management. The trend of using #Delhi Division for meeting personal comforts by All India Delhi Service (#AIDS) has to be stopped.