‘Railway Reforms’ or ‘Mercy Killing’ ??

No one is blind to the fact that handing over the Railway system to IAS is NOT the solution.. IAS will do to the Railways, exactly what they have done to the country.. Only difference will be that they will be more dignified in their acts of shame!!

There is a lesson – ‘If Good people remain impotent and silent and allow crooks to continue with their ‘अधर्म’, this is what happens to the great Institutions and Organisations, and may be even Civilizations!’

Ajeet Saxena*

One doesn’t really know whether to thank the government or lament over the decision of the so called ‘Railway Reforms’…

But it was self inflicted.. It was coming.. Only idiots thought otherwise.. Intelligent ones had already accelerated the process of plunder of their loot.

Although, Railways were a great organization, with great credentials, with very poor credibility though, still the most efficient government department, with an excellent, capable and loyal.. Army like staff, and ‘fool proof’ systems.

But Corrupt Railway officers had had too good a time for too long… A classic example of a great Organisation with great credentials, being manned by absolutely abhor able idiots.

Manned by the corrupt nincompoops who could rise up the ladder to occupy top positions cutting across departments, only by ‘prostituting themselves’.

Other exception for reaching the top was to thank the parents for delaying their birth and bless them with a favourable Date of Birth (DOB), and suck up and kill their conscience every day for 30 odd years playing safe, without doing any work and by pleasuring the bosses in every possible way, Mastering Common tricks and routes of ‘महिला समिति’ and Railway Club and it’s cultural programmers to please the bosses.

Each time a top position had to be filled up, the optimistic, good and honest youngsters would look up with hope.. only to be further frustrated..

Wondering:

“तमाशाई समझे सांप निकलेगा पिटारी से!
मदारी खुद परेशां है कि क्यों चूहा निकलता है!!”

The officers with Integrity, from respectable lineage, Intelligence, honor and spine were either decimated mercilessly in the initial years itself.. or forced to go away on study leave, resign or become authors, ‘kavi’ or vent their humiliation and frustration by doing some Social service – enjoying all railway facilities managing to remain for decades in posh cities.

Managing posting became the only quality required.. More rebellious were framed in false vigilance cases and their careers finished if they refused to join the rat race.

But Railways never had officers – in the first place. There were only ‘khalasis’ in various grades.. Once they completed probation.. from Junior Scale to JAG to SAG to GM rank or a Member or CRB.. shamelessly writing Ex-Officio on their letter heads – in vain attempt to compare themselves with the Civil Services- especially the IAS.

Even when they rose to the top by ‘prostituting themselves’ thoroughly all their lives, they remained ‘khalasis’ only.. In that sense, there was always total parity among all the departments.. no exception.

Only the corrupt, characterless and spineless shirkers rose to top positions.. ‘चोरी, चापलूसी और चरित्रहीनता’ were the three OLQs needed to be Outstanding, ‘Very Good’ or ‘Good’ – to move up.

When fed up with Civil Engineering culture (8 of my Roorkee classmates joined IRSE in 1977), I joined the IRTS in 1983, it was on the advice of my Chief Secretary in Pondicherry who had told me – “Saxena, for your temperament there is only one service.. go and join IRTS..!” specifically warning me against joining the IPS.

He was right, as at that time IRTS was by and large an honest service with many dignified people who came from honourable background.. Railways – unlike today, had only 2-3 known corrupt departments. Who indulged in naked corruption..

Joining the Railways with my value system was like suddenly landing up in a red light area and objecting to prostitutes and prostitution.. was seen as foolishness.. only choice was to either join the trade or move out of the Red-light area..

I was not ready to do either..

In disgust I too applied for MBA to Harvard and my reference George Fernandez, the them Minister for Railways, has opened my eyes by his comment:

“अजीत, ये तो चाहते ही हैं कि तुम्हारे जैसा हर ऑफीसर हॉवर्ड चला जाए..!!”

But over the years Country progressed and corruption became fashionable and we reached a stage where all departments achieved parity.. in matters of corruption at least.. no one could claim an honest culture.

But the new converts became worse than the ‘khandani’ corrupt departments in Railways.. they innovated new ways to prostitute themselves and loot the Railways putting even the old hags to shame.. the guiding principle became-

“जो जितनी बड़ी घटिया हरकत कर ले, वह उतना बड़ा आदमी… और उतना ज्यादा पावरफुल..!!”

They were worse than roadside prostitutes and it is they, who have today handed over this great organization to uncertainty for petty personal gains.. as true Pimps.. true Jaichandas…!

I know the youngsters will be shocked to read this.. but name one man of caliber and character in last 20 years who has risen to the level of Board.. even to the rank of a General Manager.. leave alone Railway Board and above..

The best you could have were careerist who would toe the line to save their own back.. absolutely none who had any sense of what was ‘न्यायोचित’ and ‘धर्मोचित’..

You had GMs who would circulate – in advance, list of gifts that should be given to them during inspection, who would demand illegitimate ‘चंदा’ to marry off their not so legitimate progeny..

Their drunken wives enslaving younger officers.. bungalow peons being targeted because they could not satisfy their needs and demands.. sickening members and chairman who all their lives feasted on the gutter … on ‘cuts and commissions’..

Having to go overboard to show off that their knowledge went beyond Cuts and ‘Dalali’.. The ones who would not take money would make a complete ass of themselves by publicity seeking gimmicks, stunts and ‘Natak’ and ‘Nautanki’.. but playing equally dirty departmental politics.. only to be shunted off to sell off another PSU.

These morons would flatter and shiver before a SI of GRP or a RSO of CBI, but insult and humiliate their own senior colleague officers.. treat them shabbily.. just because they held – or they thought so, some silly power to write their APRs.. totally uncouth and uncivilized in their behavior. Their lower middle class lineage and घटिया संस्कार at full display.. visible in all their actions and conducts..

I have seen these Ex-Official Principal Secretary’s being abused in user friendly language.. groveling at the feet of the then MR Lalu Prasad Yadav when they were questioned for their deeds.

This was when I was rated ‘Below Average – Not fit for promotion‘ as SrDOM, Mumbai while the same parasites – in their MCDOs, wrote that all records of last 50 years had been surpassed during my short tenure of nine months.. Truth in MCDOs, because they wanted to show themselves as outstanding DRM and GM, but I was a ‘Below Average’.. Charge sheets were given to me in the illusion that they could ruin my career.

One Charge sheet said that my letters to CVC had brought disrepute to Railways. That I was openly challenging the ‘Theives’ sitting at the top..!

That is a different matter, that they had to promote me to SAG, despite such ACRs and that made them to panic and forced to cancel my ACRs years after my promotion, lest I took them to court for promoting me even when I was ‘Below Average’ – Not fit.

Any honorable man would commit suicide if he had to ‘थूक के चाटो’ like they had to do in my case. But honor and Railway officers are two different ends.. like railway tracks – with no meeting point.

List is endless… But, I was an abnormal case.. A large number of bright officers’ career is crucified every year unless they succumb and accept the fate of being in the trade.. and these den keepers continue to rule and flourish in the trade.

No wonder that in 150+ years of glorious past, only one E. Shreedharan was produced and that too in his second ‘अवतार’ – only after retiring from main stream Railway system.

Even today an honest CBI or ED raid only on those retired as GMs and above in last 20 years, would fetch more than 10,000 crores worth property.

I have the details of Who’s Who of corrupt in the Indian Railwqys. Even after retirement, I am flooded with request to get the corrupt caught.. be it corruption of mainstream or DFCCIL or any other domain of corrupt system.

I was part of the core team who had worked to send two former Chief Secretaries of UP to jail but was amused to discover that they were only ‘Chillars’ when compared to theses thugs and traitors in Railways.

Earlier in my younger days, I used to get these corrupt fellows caught by CBI and other agencies but as I grew mature, I realized that targeting individual ‘cockroaches’ would not do as the malady had spread to much larger proportions and the only solution was to either use a spray of pesticides or plug the inlet of the gutter itself.

The Government decision of so called ‘Railway Reforms’ appears to have been done with that objective in mind – very cleverly putting the blame on these very spineless creatures.. in the name of some ‘परिवर्तन संगोष्ठी’ or some such nonsense.

A few years back also there was some such ‘Natak’ with some other title, in which the chosen ‘Chor’ and ‘Chamchas’ were deputed by Zones but they were lucky and escaped the blame.

Now one understands how East India Company must have taken roots.. firing from the shoulders of the traitors of that time.

There is a lesson in this – ‘If Good people remain impotent and silent and allow crooks to continue with their ‘अधर्म’, this is what happens to the greatest of Institutions / Organisations and may be even civilizations!’

That is a different matter that I having been an insider to main stream Civil Services for last three decades, am not blind to the fact that handing over the system to IAS is NOT the solution. IAS officers will do to the Railways, exactly what they have done to the country. Only difference will be that they will be more dignified in their acts of shame..!!

RIP Indian Railways…

PS: My apologies for the language used but someone has to do it. Hypocrisy is the reason why we are, where we are as a race.

* Writer is a retired IRTS as PCCM/SR.