On the Enveloping Chaos: Answer Mantri ji is with Man in the Mirror
Trust us #Vaishnaw sahab, answer is with the man you see in the mirror, unless you see #SudheerKumar in your mirror !
Dear readers, #Minister for Railways Mr #AshwiniVaishnaw is rattled. He surely was #clueless in past as we repeatedly pointed out that he clearly lacked #ability to weigh the #advise tendered by his #advisor. Least he could have done was to check the points we had shared with him.
Unravelling of Incompetence
On 5th July, #RahulGandhi’s surprise visit to the loco drivers’ lobby has sparked intense discussions. As usual, #Railway response is tepid, shallow and exposes more of internal #weakness. Videos of the visit were quickly followed by lame rebuttal of #CPRO/Northern Railway that #loco-drivers were not of the #lobby visited! Would anyone tell this #Fool CPRO who is sitting more than six years in the same place, that a lobby gets routinely visited by non-lobby crew.
This was well taken on by #AILRSA functionary- “Controversy erupts over Rahul interaction with loco pilots as Northern Railway denies they were from Delhi Division”
This was followed by tweet by #minister himself five days later-
Minister came with inane explanations with premature thought of #preemption of containing messaging of leader of opposition’s visit. This was soon answered by a well edited video released by #Congress party-
It soon emerged that #MRCell with vast social media team has fallen flat and was taken in by the clever pincer attack. Weakened by continued inept handling of #unions – because chalbaj officers needed #Union blessings – continued bludgeoning of strong officers who could have created #Safety-shield for the government, the #RailBhawan staffed by son-in-laws and the #politically connected have made #Modi government look so vulnerable despite putting more money than any #government in past. But then who can be blamed… someone who sowed wind…
This blunted Minister’s reply heavily and helped change the #narrative, making government vulnerable. This is clear failure of #babudom.
Questions that went unanswered
Questioning Ineptitude
As #Railway-administration sat like #deer-caught in headlights, #NorthernRailway administration forgot basics because of incompetent GM. That too is symptomatic of poor administration run by the string of ministers who chose to side with the #inept and the #corrupt.
How can unauthorised people enter prohibited and important area of railway operations? #Crew-lobbies are places where the government has made large investments as these were identified as important inputs to rail safety. They are monitored at apex levels – “crew lobbies of NCR” can be seen.
We are of the view that all #public-representatives should have access to non-classified areas, but such access needs to be duly controlled and with the direction and guidance of minister or senior officers. Even railway officials, not authorised, should not get unfettered access, like in Rail Bhawan. Then how can such access be granted at crew lobbies? This shows #IndianRailways and its officers themselves do not take this aspect seriously.
While leader of opposition (#LOP) got leisurely access with professional film making crew to make reels and while #CPRO/NR was responding foolishly, detailed #CCTV footage duly labelled was released by ruling party’s spokesperson. Question is, who gave CCTV footage to a political party? Who instructed?
The whole process reeks of #incompetence and administrative #immaturity which made this storied and old organisation a football in political fight.
What good is so-called #emotionally-intelligent leadership when it folds under first signs of stress?
Questioning ability
We have raised the issue of out of control #transfer and #posting of inspectors and long posted officers who have spent decades in just one building. #DRM/Delhi is only decorative post with hardly any control over persons in his secretariat or in his division. Situation worsens as one travels to #BarodaHouse and is no better in #RailBhawan.
Clearly the #ModiSarkar was not in power before 2014, these privileged officials have been doing what they wanted well before 2014. This has bred #Corruption and #incompetence.
Northern Railway, #DelhiDivision & #LucknowDivision are now hub of #corruption, excessive interference of #corrupt union office bearers who are only focused on personal comforts and privileges to their relatives. A quick scan of #decategorisation will reveal how well connected #employees have been able to get faster promotions and well settled lives-this is a major #scam in railway-system, but no one can touch it as unions have stranglehold over long posted officers.
Ability of Baroda House can be assessed from two other decisions of recent past. When #PiyushGoyal, rightly so, insisted to trim #RailBhawan, many deemed superfluous these #SAG posts were taken out of rail bhawan and cleverly parked in Baroda House. After change of #Minister and arrival of #SudheerKumar led current incumbent, these posts started moving back to rail bhawan.
Another was issue of #AfzalKarimShamsi, a traffic officer. Based on a very specific input on corruption, #Shamsi was transferred from #RailwayBoard to #NCR. But this officer who controlled #coal movement of India never did go to NCR. He immediately was accommodated in #DFCCIL and soon moved to another sensitive post of #Freight movement in Badoda House, Northern Railway.
So much so for #reforms! So much so for ability to #track and #monitor! So much so for ability to drive #transformation. And so much so for zero-tolerance for #corruption that decision of none other than a #ChairmanCEORlyBd got so easily manipulated. By overruling the decision of previous MR, it was conveyed that #KMG doesn’t two hoots even to the minister’s decision once they change – it doesn’t matter even if the PM is same.
Who is incharge Sir ji?
If one sees profiles of posted officers in railway board, many are having strong #political-backgrounds. Two points arise from this-one they may be politically strong, but can that be their administrative or technical ability? Many officers are married in to political families. Loyalty of these officers will usually be suspect and their drive will usually be anything but development of railways. But how can they be stopped? What is the fault of #hardworking and #competent officers who do not have dowry money or powerful inlaws? #KMG is built on entitlements and such officers thrive in such environment.
Case of inept #VKYadav, son-in-law of a powerful cabinet minister in #IndiraGandhi cabinet is case in point. Confusion of #IRMS, #caste based #transfers and #postings thrived under him. Related to #Lalu and #MullaMulayam families, how could #Modiji trust him so much that he got out of turn promotion and to top it a year’s extension after completing 60 years. He hardly worked in #railways and was responsible for finishing off recruitment of #engineers, though he himself claimed to be one. Well connected #AlkaArora, #SushantKumarMishra and #JayaVermaSinha also in similar cavalier manner killed #RailwayStaffCollege (#NAIR) which was their alma mater. Son-in-law of Murli Manhoar Joshi, Kesari Nath Tripathi also got accommodated likewise, coming in to railways when it suited them-what was compulsion to favour them? Son-in-law of a powerful former BSP cabinet minister also graces rail bhawan presently.
No wonder, when #LoP visited loco drivers, railway system was thrown in tizzy.
Well Coming back to the issue of loco crews
Loco crews are best paid categories of Government of India and most tightly regulated. Recruited under #operating department (#PCOMs), they are operated by #motivepower departments (#PCME/#PCEEs). From the time when #IndianRailways ran #steam locomotives, to driving new airconditioned #electric locomotives which just needs a stick to drive, difference cannot be starker.
The failure of senior #management in what is now #Level-15 has taken focus away from calculation of #vacancies etc. Indian Railways needs to carry out this routinely and this is responsibility of Zonal HQs which now have fraction of territorial jurisdiction compared to past. #Recruitment exams need to be conducted routinely, regularly over every quarter or six months.
Today it suits every #babu not to do what they are supposed to do.
Lastly, advise to Level-17
To whom many of you owe your position is known to man or woman in the mirror. Once you retire, now or few years later like #SeemaKumars and #Salechas, you will fade out well with knowledge that you have been #parasitic leeches with blood on your hands and on your face as you sucked the organisation dry.
You just #managed and #manipulated well, while poor of the #country paid their taxes honestly. This makes your manipulative career, devoid of decision making lest you make a mistake, epitome of corruption.
Mr Member Infrastructure, Chairman/CEO, how can you instruct #DRMs on what their Branch Officers (#BOs) will do for next week or fortnight? This is job of DRMs. How can you be so surprised about the situation on the ground?
Remember: “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7)
While we go, we may well like to reread what a true blue railway officer wrote:
March 25, 2022: “Transmogrifying a behemoth – the Railways”
By the way how many of Level-16 and Level-17 write analysis like this? Perhaps we need to look in to the mirror hard. To continue..