EIGHTY-FIVE per cent of the level crossings and the rail gates are almost unguarded. Not only that, there is no proper traffic signal and modern warning systems. That is why accidents on the railway tracks and at level crossings have become frequent, causing casualties and damage to properties. In the last five years, 120 people died. It seems that the railway line has become a death trap.
Experts have urged the modernisation by recruiting manpower and eliminating unnecessary level crossings. It is learned that there is one level crossing for every one km. It means the total number of level crossings is 2,900. Of which only 1400 are legal. To facilitate the journey, local governments, the Department of Roads and Highways, union parishads, and even various non-governmental organizations have built various crossings in their self interest.
Not only the death procession is increasing due to the unprotected rail level crossing, but also the speed of the train is decreasing day by day. Finally the signal and transport system of the railways have also become outdated.
But what else can we expect from a Ministry which makes its brightest talents into OSDs? Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Railways Mahbub Kabir was removed from his post and made an officer on special duty (OSD) after barely three months at the Ministry. Mahbub was instrumental in the campaign against food adulteration while he was the Chairman of the Food Safety Authority.
After that, Mahbub came to the Ministry of Railways and took initiatives against the black market for tickets. He is said to have proposed connecting the railway ticketing system to the National Identity Card database. The new method would only allow the person in whose name the ticket was issued to travel.
So a man who actively worked to prevent the spread of black markets and worked hard to ensure that such illegal activities would be eliminated was removed. The answer is simple — it is entirely possible that he irked some influential quarter who benefitted from the ongoing chaos at BR.
BR has one of the least productive staff of any railway in the world. Our trains can’t even manage to go fast enough because our bridges are very old and they have to slow down when they cross them —and that’s almost half of our total train track. Over half of our train wagons are over thirty years old. So it’s essential that a man like the recently made OSD —Mahbub Kabir, was in BR. Unfortunately he was removed before he could make any reforms. Can we expect a bright future from such a Ministry — it seems unlikely.
