What is Beyond Reasonable Doubt? Part-II

It seems that both the CRB and the Minister have failed to uphold their commitments to combat corruption and protect integrity

Failure to rotate meaningfully and visibly is squarely failure of IR’s top leadership which sits in Zonal Railway headquarters and Rail Bhawan

The current minister will not be remembered kindly for the failures that have occurred under his leadership, which is truly tragic, given the hope he inspired

In our previous article titled “What is Beyond Reasonable Doubt?” we highlighted the alarming silence and seemingly complicit behavior of the top brass in the Indian Railways. We discussed several instances of #Corruption and #unethical-behavior within the organization. Now, we will shed light on a few more cases.

Just day before yesterday, on 8 November, the Central Bureau of Investigation (#CBI) arrested a Deputy Chief Engineer (#DyCE) in a bribery case involving a sum of ₹5 lakh- “CBI arrests DyCE/NR and two private persons in a bribery of ₹5 lakh, recovers ₹52 lakh during searches!” This arrest adds to the growing list of officials who have been apprehended recently, which now totals over five individuals. We have previously stated that when the railway’s #Vigilance department becomes means to extort and offer protection, such acts of corruption will inevitably take place.

Furthermore, we have emphasized the need for the Chief Vigilance Officers (#CVOs) to be held accountable in CBI cases-it is their glaring failure that systemic #corrections have not happened and #complainant does not have confidence in railways’ internal vigilance.

It is worth noting that the #IndianRailways boasts the largest vigilance department in the #Government of India. In such a closely-knit environment, everyone knows each other, and yet, our suggestions for early detection have been conveniently disregarded- “KMG_2.0: A cynic’s view – रेलवे के धनकुबेरों का सिंडीकेट!” Why is it that during a time when the railway administration is conducting a so-called comprehensive 360 degree review, a simple paper-based profiling cannot be implemented?

The #absence of even basic #rotation practices has deeply tainted the working culture of the railways, possibly beyond redemption. Failure to rotate meaningfully and visibly is squarely failure of IR’s top leadership which sits in #ZonalRailway headquarters and #RailBhawan. Failure to #rotate also reflects poorly on #CVOs and #SDGMs and it is time they are held accountable.

Additionally, we have previously reported on an officer of #NCR against whom numerous #complaints from railway #contractors have been filed. Astonishingly, this officer has been granted yet another full tenure in the vigilance department at the instance of Rail Bhawan in #BLW-the Prime MInister’s constituency.

The Vande Bharat case involving the PED/Vigilance, ED/Vigilance/Electrical and ED/Vigilance/Stores witnessed the unjust punishment of innocent officers through public humiliation and denial of due promotion. Moreover, the denial of #Vigilance clearance to an individual who later became the Chairman of the Railway Board (#CRB) cannot be overlooked. All the culprits have been rewarded.

These #incidents clearly indicate either #corruption or blatant #incompetence. In #VandeBharat and #Lahoti case, railway officers in decision-making positions are left vulnerable without any protection while unscrupulous elements buy protection by keeping palms of senior management greased and vigilance department “happy”. Does this not contradict the assurance given by the Hon’ble #PrimeMinister to safeguard the honest and hardworking officers who choose to make decisions instead of avoiding them? It seems that both the Chairman of the Railway Board (#CRB) and the #Minister of Railways have failed to uphold their commitments to combat corruption and protect integrity.

It is illogical for the #railways to invest additional 65 crores in short #passenger trains when common passengers of the General Class are forced to travel in worse conditions than earlier 3rd class. This decision goes against common sense and does not serve the purpose of providing better #accommodation for poor #passengers who need to travel by #train. Instead, the railways should have focused on converting more General Class accommodation into votes, as this would have been a more sensible approach.

Additionally, it is possible to provide the same #seats, #lighting, #infotainment, and #toilets in standard #LHB coaches as given in Vande Bharats, while also saving more than 60 crores by packing more coaches and power. However, the questionable decision-making of those with #SudheerSense does not allow for this more practical solution.

While the Indian Railways Management Service (#IRMS) has recently joined, there is a conspicuous absence of #engineers. Over the past three years, no engineers have been recruited, despite the railways investing a conservative estimate of three lakh crores during this time. This raises concerns about whether the plan of #SudheerKumar, the current #minister, is to eventually eliminate the #engineering services! Typically, officers are considered fit for becoming branch officers after six years, but if engineers are not being recruited, it signals a disregard for this aspect.

The #IndianRailways had previously attracted the country’s best #engineering talent through the Engineering Services Examination (#CSE) conducted by #UPSC. It is perplexing how this aspect has been overlooked, especially with an #engineer as the #minister and an engineer as his key #advisor. The failure of the #IRMS and the flawed selection process, as mentioned in Part-1 of this article, have not only impacted the #recruitment process but also jeopardized the #Safety of the railways. Despite the massive investments in engineering #infrastructure, there continues to be a rise in #accidents and #track/#signal failures. The failure of the #BMBS has dealt body blow to #mobility of #Freight trains, while there is a pile-up of arrears of critical maintenance.

Unfortunately, the #political leadership has approached the problems of the railways through the lens of #KMG rather than considering the #expertise and insights of those who have worked in the field. As history has shown, the #IndianRailways has often proven to be #waterloo for political leaders. The current minister will not be remembered kindly for the failures that have occurred under his leadership, which is truly tragic, given the hope he inspired.

If these plain facts are not understandable, one wonders, what more #proof one needs to act? To be continued..