Scrap Bibek Debroy report on railway restructuring, say trade unions

Unions plan mass demonstrations, protest rallies as part of agitation

The Bibek Debroy report on reform and restructuring of Indian Railways (IR) has upset its trade unions, which are demanding immediate scrapping of the report that recommends “privatisation in the name of liberalisation”. The unions are also planning mass demonstrations and large-scale rallies.

“A bare perusal of the report reveals the committee in the name of liberalisation has recommended entry of new operators into railway operations, that is, privatisation,” said Guman Singh, president of National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NIFR), which represents 80 per cent of IRs’ 1.3 million workers.

The Federation’s press secretary said clear directions have been given to affiliates to arrange mass demonstrations, protest rallies and press conferences to express the anger of the railway employees against the recommendations of the committee.

Planning Commission member Bibek Debroy had on Friday submitted his report on the restructuring of the railway board and mobilisation of resources for railway projects to the rail ministry.

While Debroy has sought to define liberalisation separately from privatisation in the report, he has also said the entry of private players into the system is already provided by extant policy. Trade unions fear any effort at bringing in private players into railway operations would jeopardise the workers’ jobs and negatively impact railways’ financial health.

The Debroy panel has also recommended setting up an independent regulator, merging of the eight existing Group A railway services, rationalising the workforce and restructuring of Indian Railways on the lines of the British railways.

NFIR had said in its comments on the panel’s recommendations that it was not desirable to experiment with foreign direct investment and private players in infrastructure without building massive railway infrastructure first. It also said that Debroy ignored the shortcomings of European railways including the failed privatisation model of British Railways.

Unions complain Debroy did not examine the actions of successive governments in starving the railways of investments and blamed workforce for problems.

NFIR had said in its comments on the panel’s recommendations that it was not desirable to experiment with foreign direct investment and private players in infrastructure without building massive railway infrastructure first.

It also said that Debroy ignored the shortcomings of European railways including the failed privatisation model of British Railways. “Restructuring cannot be an exercise subjected to such a ‘disastrously confused perspective’ of connecting the current state of affairs with what is desired for the future,” the union had said in its comments on the report.

All India Railway Federation (AIRF), another influential union, has called for observing June 30 as “black day”.

AIRF general-secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra termed the Debroy report a clear roadmap for privatisation.