Forgotten Infrastructure

The second reason for the railways retreating from the public gaze is the increasing realisation that no matter what the experts may say and no matter what rational decision-making requires, the railways will remain a plaything in the hands of the politicians. There is an element of despair in the air, occasioned in no small measure by the wholly counter-productive decision of the current railway minister, Ram Vilas Paswan to set up six new zones at a recurring cost of around Rs. 1,500 crore annually, merely in order to satisfy his own political needs in his constituency. In the previous five years, his predecessor, C K Jaffer Sharif, had done about as much damage through his decision to spend upward of Rs 6,000 crore speeding up the process of gauge conversion.

Taken together, the 1990s could well turn out to be the decade that broke the railways back. After all, no one knows that other surprises Mr Paswan has in store. He has already sprung two nasty onesthe six new zones and his unilateral decision to remove the bonus ceiling for railway workersand heaven knows what else he is dreaming up.

Everyone knows that the central issues are financial (in terms of inadequate investment) and political, namely, how to reduce the absolute control exercised by politicians when they become railway ministers. Strong prime ministers like Indira Gandhi usually managed to keep the minister in check. Also, sensible ministers like Madhav Rao Scindia are good for the railways. They are, however, rare.

But the combination of weak prime ministers like Narasimha Rao and Deve Gowda, and irresponsible ministers like Jaffer Sharif and Ram Vilas Paswan, spells potential disaster. Perhaps the Left, which prides itself on being able to influence government policy, will exert itself on the issue. Is it too much to expect that parliamentarians as a whole will also exercise due application of mind when debating the railway budget?