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Bid to privatise Railways

fails for obvious reasons

on the Mobile Phone and is embedded doctors on this Kaizala group can view are brighter and can be conveniently
with QR Code. This service has added to medical history of an employee, pull out used in 100 volts D.C.Energy saving of up Private participation in rail services is being tried ever since globalisation
passenger convenience. About 4 lakh case sheets and aid in taking timely deci- to 40% is possible by using of LED lights. of Indian economy was set in motion in 1991 but not many have come
passengers per day are booking tickets sions. Microsoft Kaizala is a mobile-only NF Railway has already replaced con-
on Mobile phones. product that makes it simple for organi- ventional lighting in all its stations with forward, writes my siddiqui
zations to seamlessly communicate, col- LED lights in all its stations. Besides at
E-Procurement laborate and complete tasks, bringing important stations like Guwahati, Dibru- here are reports that the has been tried ever since globalisation other modes of transportation being
Complete tendering activity of Indian together desktop users and mobile-only garh, New Cooch Behar, New Jalpaiguri, Ministry of Railways is plan- of Indian economy was set in motion in beyond their affordability. Privatisation
Railways for procurement of goods, ser- users. Kathihar and Rangiya the Lux levels of ning to privatise railways in 1991 right from the “Own Your Wagon of train services will therefore be anti-
vices & works and e-auction of scrap sale lights have been improved to airport a big way to the detriment of Scheme’, operation of luxury/super lux- people. Besides, law and order problems
is on Indian Railways E-Procurement Improved lighting standard lighting. T the larger public interests in ury rail heritage tourism on the pattern and operational logistics put spanners
System (IREPS). The IREPS system is Besides the IT initiatives, the Indian anticipation of the Dedicated Freight of Palace on Wheels tourism train being for private players.
largest such G to B portal in India. It has Railways’ North East Frontier Railway Tie up with Amazon Corridors between Mumbai-Delhi and operated in collaboration with the Rajas- Railways often face public agitations
helped in achieving objectives of trans- (NFR) zone has taken steps to improve In another initiative, the Indian Railways Delhi-Kolkata being commissioned by than government’s tourism corporation, like squatting on tracks mostly for peo-
parency, efficiency and improving of the lighting in the interior of the railway in a bid to increase its revenue from non- December 2021 and 90 per cent ofthe building rail infrastructure and logistics ple ventilating their grievance with local
ease of doing business. During 2017-18, coaches. As a part of its up gradation fare sources has decided to ship e-com- existing high density routes on these cor- on BOT (Build-0perate-Transfer) basis. governments with railways in no way
4,44,000 e-tenders valuing more than process, NFR has initiated a drive for merce consignments in non-peak hours. ridors being freed from freight traffic and All came as cropper as no private being responsible for such problems,
1,50,000 crore were issued on IREPS. replacement of existing incandescent The Indian Railways has decided to start released for additional passenger traffic investor came forward having been wary in the process delaying rail services
Online scrap sale of 2800 crores lamps and CFL lights inside coaches by it on a pilot project on its Eastern Rail- for starting high speed luxury trains to of long gestation between investment increasing service costs and making it
was also done last year through e-auc- LED lights. According to a statement, the ways Zone. It carried out the trial runs mop up more passenger traffic. Accord- and return in the capital-intensive rail- unprofitable for private investors. Other
tion. 90,000 vendors have registered step will help Indian Railways, to cut on from Sealdah to Dankuni. According to ingly, bid documents are being worked ways and private investor’s sole motive impediments are constraints of dual
themselves on IREPS website. Central a statement the project will be carried out for global tenders. Besides, some being profit earning. Even partnership security systems being Railway Protec-
Vigilance Commission has recognized out for a period of three months initially. other routes across the country will be with state governments in building rail tion Force (RPF) for securityand safety
and awarded the system under “Vigi- An online application The pilot project is initially for a period of opened to private train services of railway assets and the Govern-
lance Excellence Award — 2017” for for CRS Sanction three months where total 7 MT of con- including sub-urban rail services ment Railway Police (GRP) for law
outstanding contribution in the category signment per day has been allowed to be in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and and order including prevention of
of “IT initiatives for transparency in the Management has carried in the trains. The consignment is Secunderabad. The government has sabotage and untoward incidents,
organization”. been developed allowed to be carried in vendor compart- also allocated about 1,300 crore for wherein RPF assists GRP, which is
In another first, India’s largest em- ment along with other vendors in non- upgrading the existing Mumbai- part of state government police.
ployer, Indian Railways, will be using Mi- in which all works peak hours thus causing no disruption/ Delhi and Kolkata-Delhi tracks to Other impediments will be elite
crosoft Kaizala to connect its employees pertaining to level inconvenience to the existing system. 160 kilometre per hour speed. character of private train services,
across the country with quality health- The project is to benefit both Railways According to sources in the Min- besides lack of single security com-
care facilities. Microsoft Kaizala app will crossings and minor and e-commerce company Amazon. istry, simultaneously the govern- mand and control on the railways
enable serving and retired railway em- Indian Railways is expecting that it ment is all out to corporatise all the that was shot down by state govern-
ployees to avail healthcare services of bridges will be able to generate additional rev- eight Production Units that manu- ments as it would dent their author-
125 railways and 133 private recognized enue without putting any extra stress or facture rail coaches, locomotives, itative control over law and order
hospitals. The Kaizala group, managed by its energy bill and also the inside of the burden on an existing system whereas both diesel and elec tric, and wheels turf. It also portends public uprising
doctors from South Central Railways will coaches will also get brightly illuminated. Amazon will be benefitted through re- and axles plants. An exercise is afoot in our system of democratic govern-
be complemented with focused groups A total of 1890 passengers’ coaches duced transit time. Amazon preferred in the government about the modal- ance as it impinges people’s right to
of doctors, paramedical staff and nurses. have been retrofitted with LED lights so the route from Sealdah to Dankuni for ities of such corporatization wheth- cost effective bulk transportation.
On registering for the healthcare ser- far and entire stock of coaches will be quick movement of their consignment er there will be a holding company Nevertheless, it is construed as a trial
vices, Indian Railway employees will be done within the next one year. to the existing facility at Dankuni. for each group of locomotive units and infrastructure has not taken off except balloon as in the absence of no takers, the
able to search on Microsoft Kaizala, near- The initiative is part of the planning of The railways will be benefitted rail coaches including wheels and axles. few states on the ground of resourceless- government has tasked its own railway
est hospitals and doctors, list of empan- Indian Railways for improvement of the through generation of revenue, without Corporatisations of railways pro- ness of most of the state governments. arm the IRCTC (Indian Railways Cater-
eled diagnostic centers and health units. travelling experience of the passengers putting any additional stress or burden duction units will open it to private and Even private container freight services ing and Tourism Corporation) to run two
Employees can book doctor appoint- and is being done in tandem with other on the existing system, whereas Ama- corporate investments opening their in competition with the CONCOR (Con- superfast super luxury Tejas Express on
ments, share diagnostic lab reports di- initiatives for improving the coaches’ in- zon will be benefitted through a reduced routes to further automisation reducing tainer Corporation of India), an arm of Lucknow-New Delhi and Ahmedabad-
rectly with their doctors and save digital terior to ensure more comfort. transit time. Upon success of the pilot employment therein, while existing Indian Railways has performed dismally. Mumbai route, which has been hyped as
records in ‘Me Chat’ of Microsoft Kaizala. According to the statement the exist- project, other routes may also be taken workforce may not be compulsorily re- Privatisation of train services will not private run trains. People hope the pro-
Kaizala enables Indian Railways to ing tube lights have limitation in bright- up by Amazon and other e-commerce tired. It will also increase the costs of rail work in India as the country’s rule of law posed privatization will not take off and
enable direct communication with their ness and there is uneven distribution of companies to have the benefit of pen- services to the nation for bulk of the peo- based system of democratic governance the railway trade unions thwart such
employees including achievement bulle- light. Besides there are problems of accu- etration and quick transit time from Kol- ple who are largely dependent on cost where people are sovereign masters of move with the larger public support!
tins, educative bulletins and informative mulation of dust particles, which results kata suburban Railway to suburban area effective rail transportation to long dis- the government of the transient ma-
bulletins to spread awareness around in poor, lightening. In order to overcome of Kolkata. tant places for jobs, pilgrimages, tourism jority has no business to deprive bulk The writer is a former bureaucrat.
CPR, general first aid, immunization this limitation, energy efficient LED and so on. of the people, who are poor and largely The opinions expressed are his own
and vaccination, including others. The based light has been introduced which letters@tehelka.com Private participation in rail services dependent on railways for travel, and letters@tehelka.com

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