What ails Indian Railways, explains Dinesh Trivedi, former Railway Minister

Former Railway Minister and All India Trinamool Congress party leader, Dinesh Trivedi, explained in detail about the issues plaguing the Indian Railways.

New Delhi, Nov 22: On November 20, 149 people died when the ill-fated Indore-Patna Express derailed near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Reports say around 200 people sustained injuries during the accident and several of them are still in critical condition.

After the rescue operations got over on Monday, now it is time for the Railway Ministry to answer several queries post the massive disaster that rock the country in recent times.

In a column--Why trains derail: Explained by former Railways minister--former Railway Minister and All India Trinamool Congress party leader, Dinesh Trivedi, explained in detail about the issues plaguing the Indian Railways.

"Now, the question is, "What is really ailing the Indian railways?'' I heard the honourable minister, reacting to this incident, say, "strictest possible action would be taken against the guilty." Who is the guilty? Do we blame the British government for an inefficient railway system? Certainly not," Trivedi writes.

"One of the assets we inherited from the Raj was an efficient railway system. Then where does the buck stop? The poor gang-man on duty? Of course not, as he isn't qualified to know the quality of rail and how much wear and tear it can take. I wouldn't even blame the minister. My view is, successive governments have to take the blame, all those who have treated the Indian railways as a political tool rather than an asset, capable of transporting people and freight and adding at least two per cent to our GDP," he adds.

Trivedi stressed on the need to completely modernise Indian Railways with latest technologies to avoid future tragedies.

"In conclusion, we need to go for a generational change in our railway system and completely modernise it with latest technology," he writes.

"For this, the government needs a massive investment programme without relying on revenue from the railway's internal generation," he adds.

OneIndia News