Saga of Railways: Stink of corruption and woes of commuters

New Delhi, May 4: Those who travel by Indian

very well know the stink that block the nostrils, the moment you board a train.

Ill-managed, badly-equipped, accident prone, unsafe and dirty trains are no new to commuters. Millions of passengers take the services of Indian Railways to cross distances, as they have no other options, when air fare is touching the sky.

The history of rail transport dates back to British era, way back in 1850s. The mass transportation changed the very face of India, by linking every nook and corner of the country. It gave a boost to freedom struggle of India too.

But, what is it that makes one think twice before boarding a train? Of course, the failure of Indian government, which owns the Railways to successfully run it.

Now, cases of corruption inflicting Indian Railways clearly show that the Congress-led UPA government is using the transport system to fill it coffers.

The sensational case of alleged bribery by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew exposes further rot in the system.

Railway Minister's nephew was arrested on Friday (May 3) by the CBI who also held a Member of the Railway Board.

Senior officials said that Bansal's nephew V Singla was arrested in Chandigarh for accepting Rs.90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, the conduit of Mahesh Kumar, recently promoted as Member (Staff) and trying to get a lucrative position as Member (Electrical).

Bansal distanced himself from his arrested nephew, and denied any wrongdoing.

I look forward to expeditious CBI inquiry into the matter said Bansal.

"I have always followed utmost probity in public life," added Bansal.

"I have no business relations with my nephew nor any financial transactions with him," said Bansal.

Now, Bansal and his colleagues in Railways have lot of explanation to do before the commuters to regain their trust.

OneIndia News