Balasore: Man-made disaster

That India cannot afford or find a full-time minister to hold the Railway portfolio tells you the sad story of the Indian Railways. Ashwini Vaishnaw joined the government on July 7, 2021. He is the Minister of Electronics and IT, the Minister of Communications, and Minister of Railways (where, it is claimed, he has been 'on the job' since June 3, 2023) better late than never

- P Chidambaram

SINCE FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2023, the most discussed issue in the country is the accident at Balasore involving three trains (two moving passenger trains and one stationary goods train). All facts concerning the accident point to one conclusion: it was a man-made disaster that was waiting to happen.

A suspicion has been sowed by the government that there were mischiefmakers behind the tragedy. Maybe. If there were mischief, it was not the only one. Mischief means harm, damage, injury. There is a long list of acts of omission and commission in the last nine years that contributed to the accident that has cost 275 lives and wrecked the lives of hundreds of families.

Misplaced priorities

1. On average, the Indian Railways (IR) carries 2.2 crore passengers a day, mostly people belonging to the poor and middle classes. Their travel is subsidised. However, except the subsidy, the IR is biased in favour of the rich. The result: priority for new trains over track maintenance and renewal; Vande Bharat and Tejas trains over capital expenditure on signaling and telecommunication; vanity projects (Bullet Train) over filling of the humongous number of vacancies in sanctioned posts; and speed over safety.

2. Of the total capital expenditure of ₹1,39,245 crore in 2020-21, the amount spent on "Track Renewal' was 8.6% and on 'Signaling and Telecommunication' was 1.4%, showing the low priority to matters that are crucial for safety. The percentages are estimated to be 7.2% and 1.7% in the Budget of 2023-24.