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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, June 21: Political expediency can overcome even the odds posed by inadequate finances, if the Western Railway’s Vadodara division decision to revive the Chhotaudepur-Dabhoi narrow gauge line is anything to go by. Officials admit the route is unprofitable, but say, “a lot of political mileage can be gained from it”.
Dating back to the days of Maharaja Sayajirao III, the Chhotaudepur-Dabhoi railway connection had been plagued with problems in recent years before a bridge collapse finally brought services to a standstill in 1997. Primary among these was the paucity of passengers. “We didn’t get more than 25-30 passengers in a day”, admits a senior railway official. “So the returns were not commensurate with the investment.”
Chhotaudepur MP Naransinh Rathwa agrees that the route is none too profitable for the railways. “But it’s those who avail of the services who are important”, he maintains.
While dismissing the charge that political pressure had anything to do with the restoration, Rathwa admits, however, that they took up the issue with the Centre “since it was a long-pending demand”.
Dabhoi MLA Siddharth Patel, too, feels it is necessary to revive the line “especially for casual labourers shuttling between Chhotaudepur and Vadodara”. Dismissing the possibility that the route was a loss-making one, he adds, “Since the infrastructure only needed to be repaired and upgraded, we specified to the Centre why the route should be revived. But it did take some time to convince them.”
The same reluctance is reflected in senior railway officials today. They mince no words in admitting, “The bridge collapse and the subsequent disruption in services were a blessing in disguise for the railway coffers. Why, during the monsoons, even those 25-odd passengers were hard to come by.”
Officials, however, are more circumspect about voicing their belief that the restoration was sanctioned in view of the impending Lok Sabha elections.
On the other hand, they do not hesitate to say that the only way the route could be profitable was if the meter gauge was converted into broad gauge. “At least we could earn something by carrying minerals, which are plentiful in this section”, explains an officer. Though Patel agrees with the idea, and says they’ll take it up with the Railway Ministry, local officials have little hope of the plans materialising any time in the near future. After all, the restoration work was sanctioned after two railway ministers, in the span of two years, had announced separately that the project would be revived.
Moreover, the Rs 6 crores granted to restore tracks and maintain coaches is nowhere near the Rs 10 crores the ministers had promised publicly.
On the completion of the project — it is estimated to take around two years — narrow gauge trains will run between Pratapnagar (near Vadodara city) to Chhotaudepur via Dabhoi. The frequency of trains between Chhotaudepur and Bardoli/Jambusar, too, will be increased from the current two or three, according to a senior official.
