Nitish Kumar's Railway Budget definitely had a slogan as a sub-text: Vote for NDA. It may be a popular budget but her and his ministry must remember that rail travel in India is unsafe—compared to air and road. The foremost duty of the railways is to ensure passenger safety. But it appears that the Budget has not done enough for safety. As for punctuality, it is becoming increasing rare for the rail timetable to remain ‘atal’ (strict)—especially in long distance trains, including the prestigious Rajdhanis and Satabdis.Poor maintenance is another major shortcoming. Using a toilet in any of these trains is a nightmare. Because of the accommodative attitude of the TTEs, many unreserved passenger are allowed access to the toilets attached to even the reserved Rajdhani trains, just as the vestibules have become common areas for smokers to wreak their havoc. Now that the age of ‘Veer’ has started, Gandhiji’s ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’ observation seems to have no value.Accommodative TTEs also mean that reservations have hardly any sanctity, even in Rajdhanis. The casual passenger is warmly welcomed by the staff and, if you complain, nothing happens. I am quite sure if the kar sevaks had not encroached into the reserved S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express a year ago, this country could have been spared both Godhra and the riots that followed. In many stations, drinking water taps are dry or non-existent. As for clean toilets, forget them. Indeed, many station platforms have become crowded daily markets, with very little attention being paid to basic amenities for the paying passenger. So the main question is not cheaper travel but safe, clean travel. What does the rail mantri have to say about that?
