Nothing will solve if the basic maintenance stays in the hands of unqualified contractors whose main expertise is cutting corners & bribing officials

Admin

#IndianRailways today stands as a glaring example of how institutional disregard for clear rules and directives can put millions of passengers at risk. Verified data from the #RailMadad portal shows that over 300,000 #complaints have been registered for AC coaches alone — with the most common issues being “AC not working” and “water pouring from AC.”

But the real problem behind this flood of failures isn’t technology — it’s the deep-rooted #Corruption within #ZonalRailways, where officials openly ignore Railway Board’s orders for personal profit. Roof Mounted AC Package Units (#RMPUs) — critical for #Passengers comfort and #Safety — are supposed to be maintained under Annual Maintenance Contracts (#AMC) and/or Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contracts (#CAMC) only.

Ep101: वंदेभारत कोच में गिरता पानी और लचर व्यवस्था! घातक है मुद्दों की अनदेखी, भाग-9

However, in complete defiance of the Railway Board’s own clear directives — Letter No. 94/Elect(TRS)/441/1 Pt. III and its revised Letter No. 2009/Elect(G)/138/1 — zonal railways continue to award these vital #contracts to unqualified, lowest-bid local firms and #contractors who often lack even the most basic technical know-how in railway #HVAC systems.

This open violation is no oversight — it’s deliberate. #ZonalRailway officers float tenders with manipulated eligibility conditions to ensure that OEMs are declared technically unfit and eliminated from the process. The very companies that designed, engineered, and manufactured these complex systems are somehow deemed “incapable” of maintaining them and are forcibly sidelined in favour of third-party contractors who only touch the equipment after it fails. These officers then award the contracts to their preferred local firms, pocket hefty commissions, and knowingly put passenger safety at risk.

The message is clear—eligibility is not based on capability it is bought

All of this happens in direct #violation of Letter No. 2019/Elect(G)/165/1, which clearly states that, “the technical and financial eligibility criteria may be waived for bidders who are OEMs or RDSO-approved sources for related work”. Yet this rule is ignored to favour local middlemen who have mastered only one thing — manipulating tenders and paying off officials.

The pattern is not theoretical — it is happening in plain sight. Recently, two tenders were finalised in which all RDSO-approved OEMs who participated were declared technically disqualified — their financial bids weren’t even opened. How it is possible? How OEM be technically disqualified? Instead, a single non-OEM firm, under a joint venture, was declared qualified and handed both contracts:

  1. #EastCentralRailway, #Danapur Division: Tender No. EL-50-DNR-OPEN-45-2024-25 (closed on 18.03.2025)
  2. #WestCentralRailway, #Jabalpur Division: Tender No. JBP-L-TNo-52-2024 (closed on 21.12.2024)

And, these are just the tip of the iceberg

  • #SouthEastCentralRailway, #Bilaspur Division: Tender No. OTP-24-25-33 (closed on 03.03.2025; awarded to JV of OEM and Non-OEM)
  • #NorthWesternRailway, #Jaipur Division: Tender No. EL-CHG-JP-05-2024-25 (closed on 18.11.2024; awarded to Non-OEM)
  • #SouthCentralRailway, #Vijaywada Division: Tender No. GEM/2024/B/5576986 (closed on 28.11.2024; awarded to Non-OEM
  • #NorthWesternRailway, #Bikaner Division: Tender No. 3-Ele-BKN-E-TENDER-24-25R (closed on 05.09.2024; awarded to Non-OEM)
  • #SouthernRailway, #Trichirappalli Division: Tender No. TPJ-E-32-2024-2025 (closed on 03.01.2024; awarded to Non-OEM)
  • #EastCentralRailway, #Sonpur Division: Tender No. GEM/2023/B/3960343 (closed on 05.10.2023)
  • East Central Railway, #Sonpur Division: Tender No. GEM/2023/B/3856815 (closed on 12.09.2023)
  • #NorthWesternRailway, #Jodhpur Division: Tender No. 02 of 2023-24 (closed on 28.04.2023; awarded to Non-OEM)
  • #SouthWesternRailway, #Hubli Division: Tender No. GEM/2021/B/1692013 (closed on 13.12.2021; awarded to Non-OEM)
  • #EastCentralRailway, #Samstipur Division: Tender No. M-TC-03 of 2021 (closed on 03.2021; awarded to Non-OEM)

Each of these #contracts shows how zonal officers bypass Board’s instructions to favour their own network of local contractors. Once they secure the contracts, these Non-OEMs and joint ventures openly source non-genuine spares from local, unauthorized suppliers. Many even produce counterfeit parts with forged stamps of #RDSO approved sources — parts which consistently fail during real use, causing repeated breakdowns and putting passengers at risk.

The #scam doesn’t stop there. Backed by #corrupt officials, these shady #vendors also win spare procurement tenders, pushing counterfeit parts stamped with fake #OEM logos — all while inspections and paperwork are cleared by the very officers paid to protect the system.

This is nothing short of a betrayal of the role the #RailwayBoard and #RDSO are meant to play — ensuring #quality, #reliability, and #safety. Decades of investment in technical standards, vendor approvals, and system safety are being undone by this partnership of corrupt officials and fraudulent contractors.

And still, the Railway Board looks the other way. Despite more than 3,00,000 complaints, and despite its own clear orders, it has failed to take real action to enforce its rules. This deliberate inaction is not just indifference — it is complicity. Passenger safety and comfort are being sacrificed for the personal profit of a few.

Ironically, instead of fixing this blatant sabotage, zonal railways keep demanding redesigns, upgrades, and new technology — none of which will solve anything if the basic #maintenance stays in the hands of unqualified contractors whose main expertise is cutting corners and bribing officials.

If the Railway Board genuinely cares about public safety and trust, it must act now

  • Blacklist and criminally prosecute suppliers of counterfeit parts.
  • Investigate and remove corrupt officials enabling these scams.

Anything less is more than just a policy failure — it is an unforgivable betrayal of public trust. This is no longer about paperwork or circulars — this is about whether the Railway Board has the courage to govern honestly and protect the people who rely on Indian Railways every single day.