No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-4

Why average speeds still continue to languish?

Has anyone explained political leadership the concept of interchange?

Has anyone explained why MEMUs continue to be grossly underproduced due to higher production of Vande Bharats?

Can a man who never lifted a gun be made head of armed forces?

Institution of Division has kept Indian Railways alive despite the skullduggery of transformation—it needs to be strengthened not weakened

If DRDO, HAL, ISRO & DAE were to be stuffed with the kind of officers who have been selected to run Ministry of Railways and its PSUs, then we would have been under the boots of our enemies from across the border. Forget any “Operation Sindoor!”

On 10.10.2024, in, “No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-1”, we wrote:

“With Sixth Gazette Notification on Indian Railway Management Service (#IRMS) on 9th October, 2024 effectively Indian Railways is back with eight departments and in a situation which is worse than where it was, when the #cabinet-decision of 24th December, 2019 was announced. Complete #breakdown of #command-structure led to unprecedented fall in #Safety-standards. Senior Officers who own the operations and safety to new recruits to common rail user – every one is anxious and unhappy. What has been achieved? We had time and again alerted the #ministry and the #government.”

In 28.10.2024: “No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-2”, we surmised:

“Options before Hon’ble PM are painfully limited. He has to reset and reboot but the system cannot, anymore, go back to December 2019 level. It is important to send a message that all that #RailBhawan stood for under Vaishnaw-Kumar duo is not acceptable. For this, #responsibility needs to be fixed on officers who misled the #government. Purge the beneficiaries, even if they have been granted extension. Continuation of #AshwiniVaishnaw as Minister is untenable. As no new minister can handle this massive mess, perhaps, there is no other option but to call back Piyush Goyal.”

In 05.11.2024: “No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-3”, we wrote:

“The revert to five #Engineering-Services and three #Civil-Services is ill thought of and wasted golden opportunity of reform which would have been practical and addressed the correct disease. All that IR achieved was renaming of services and public embarrassment with loss of confidence without solving anything.”

——

“Several decisions need to undone, not just that taken in December 2019. #Decision to split the railways was key to several problems IR faces today. No meaningful #rotation can be done on smaller Zones. Railways like #ECR, railway PSUs and #ProductionUnits are now cesspools of #corruption because of lack of meaningful rotation. Skill set mapping is needed. #Stores, #HR and #Accounts function have become superfluous in current context. It is important that #HR and #Stores be made ex-cadre and existing officers get retrained for other functions. On accounts, computerisation has matured and using assistance of #CAG, this computerised system should be manned by effective section officers drawn from different services. Similarly, for role of accounts, officers from other services of other ministries need to be roped in. There are already several vacancies in the department.”

Why Part-4 now?

Readers would have noted the arrival of 7th gazette on #IRMS last week. We had commented on the draft which had stormed all railway whatsapp groups:

10.11.2025: “Reboot it is sir, but from a corrupted disk ! Beware Mantri ji !”

However, the same draft has now been published as a gazette. If Khan Market Gang (#KMG) running #RailBhawan were to have little shame they would have done a better job in their seventh gazette.

Mega Failure of the Government

In no other department or ministry has hon’ble PM must have faced so much embarrassment. He could tackle challenges like Ram Mandir and Article 370. But IR—as we mentioned—remains his waterloo. Unfortunately, by making the beneficiaries of earlier system as key advisors, continuing with such officers even now, granting protection to known extortionists ensure that good and capable cannot be tapped by the political bosses who have not shied in supporting Railway Sector and continue to give support to IR at a level not given to any other sector.

So the seventh gazette has come and we make a prediction that its #corrigendum or eighth #gazette is not far away.

Lost Opportunities—Lost political advantage and leverage

Why is there reluctance to reduce number of services? Did government not trim Indian Telecom Service and redefine Indian Supply Service? When powerful DGS&D—the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals—could be replaced by #GeM, why a view was not taken on #IRSS and #IRPS where IT solutions run the show instead of battery of clerks, section officers and bevy of officers.

Similarly, why has the government failed to review decision to reduce size of zonal railways? This would have reduced number of officers and permitted increase of number of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ (erstwhile)—which would have helped more from the strata of labhaarthis. But who would give this advice? Smaller zones mean more Level 14, 15 & 16 positions—directly benefiting officers.

Why simple questions not asked: why average speeds still continue to languish? Has anyone explained political leadership the concept of interchange? Has anyone explained why MEMUs continue to be grossly underproduced due to higher production of Vande Bharats which need more money to produce, more money to operate and need massive ₹500 crore facilities for maintenance?

Due to Vande Bharats, entire VB routes over the country are now being fenced at cost of almost Rs 4,000 crore. Add to it new #maintenance facilities which run in to another few thousand crores. Further another few thousand crores need to be spent on 2×25 kV upgradation of Overhead Electrification (#OHE). Despite this investment, timetables can not squeeze in demand of halts in small farming towns, market towns, district head quarter towns by labhaarthis—something which BJP and RSS understands so well. Where is this development leading to? Would this translate to votes-key imperative of a democratic process? So who is beneficiary of this mode of planning?

Rail Does not Run on Social Media

Can a man who never lifted a gun be made head of armed forces? So how can stores, accounts, personnel be equated with other services? Grooming of direct officers start with their induction, to take on higher administrative responsibilities. But the seventh gazette effectively snap this link of grooming. So it gets ensured that system will not offer true champions it has for the posts that matter.

Removing need to have been a #DRM for becoming #GM or #Member/Railway Board is most unfortunate. Institution of #Division has kept #IndianRailways alive despite the skullduggery of ‘transformation’—it needs to be strengthened not weakened. DRMs are most precious resources to choose from for top tier of leadership. To make this key command role meaningless by removing it from eligibility requirement will continue to weaken roots of IR.

It is not that the DRMs today inspire any confidence, itch to post on social media, whatsapp—paying obeisance to the chairman while yielding to this itch has become nauseating. But this can be handled by putting DRMs and their Bosses through some training which unfortunately became victim of the #Raichand and #Gyaanchand of #transformation who put self before everyone and everything else.

Virus Spreads

Recent selection of CMD of RVNL has thrown several serious questions. When IR has battery of #UPSC selected civil engineers from elite institutions, who have solid field experience of making and maintaining railway tracks and bridges, the government could not one even one from the network? Such selection are exemplars of government’s failure to get right people for important positions. It is time hon’ble PM applies himself to the continued failure to get real experts and not always the manipulators.

Modi ji, if #DRDO, #HAL, #ISRO & #DAE were to be stuffed with the kind of officers who have been selected to run Ministry of Railways and its PSUs, then we would have been under the boots of our enemies from across the border.

Please depute a man of clean conscience read our articles which represent true feedback and analysis from the heart of those who are true patriots. All that is wrong and all that needs to be corrected has been dealt in detail by the officers and supervisors who are some of the best India has produced.

Readers may please read:

01.02.2020: “Restructuring plans for Rly workforce trigger anxieties over the fate of specialisation and more”

10.10.2024: “No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-1”

28.10.2024: “No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-2”

05.11.2024: “No Sir, Its not Squaring One, IR is Worse than What it was Before the Fateful Parivartan Sangoshthi Happened, Part-3”

15.03.2025: “The Gazetteers”