The trio, in their intertwining ways, may be set for a big leap forward if the new Modi government follows its intent with propelling power
Like
a lot of people who chug along a nostalgic track at the mere mention
of Indian Railways, I also imagine a black chhuk-chhuk
engine
billowing smoke as it majestically pulls on the sturdy red bogies in
the uplifting backdrop of verdant hills.
I'm
also reminded of an old slogan played numerous times on Doordarshan:
Bharat
ki rail: hum behtar issey banayein, aur iska laabh uthayein.
(Indian Railways: let's make it better and benefit from it.)
As
we all know, the idyllic image of yore gradually gave way to a
realisation that the world's largest rail network also became one of
its most burdened, creaky and squalid. What primarily happened over
decades was that nobody made it better (not the passengers, certainly
not the government) while everybody used and abused it to the hilt.
There
were a few attempts at betterment in the form of Rajdhanis and
Shatabdis, but largely, much of what exists today was built or
enabled by the British (with Indians as labourers, true)—with
occasional tweaks, tricks and “expansions” by the Independent
babus
and netas.
To
me, one of the most useful and significant changes came in customer
service through electronic ticketing. (The guys at CRIS have done a
humongous job.)
So
it came as a whiff of fresh air when the Modi government announced
its intent and a few ideas to modernise the Indian Railways and make
technology a driving force for that endeavour. Among the things that
the PMO has suggested are Wi-Fi connectivity on all passenger trains
in three months and the use of closed-circuit television for
monitoring cleanliness (in addition to security, of course).
Earlier
in July, the government had announced a Diamond Quadrilateral of
high-speed trains (that some in the media referred to as semi-bullet
trains!)
The
most important announcement, in my own view, concerns the mandate for
different but allied ministries and departments to work together
(highways, water resources, transport, etc.) As most people in IT
know, silos are often bad for agility and performance—and
governance couldn't be any different.
In
another positive sign last year, RailTel, the telecom arm of the
Railways, launched Railwire broadband service in certain areas of the
country. Around the launch, RailTel MD RK Bahuguna had said that it
is designed to provide “an open source content delivery platform
for providing various services, including broadband internet,
eHealthcare and eEducation,” among others.
Imagine
what Modi & Co could achieve if they were to expedite the process
and get the maximum out of RailTel's 50,000 or so kilometres of fibre
optic network: for the benefit of the Railways; for the sake of
better and wider Connectivity; for what is the raison d'être of
Governance—benefit of the masses.
Maybe
it's time to dream a different dream.
