Nayi Subah!

After almost a decade and a half railways is back with a mainline political party. And promptly did I see a news item crediting the top guy with the idea of raising fares during the tenure of Dinesh Trivedi, an idea that was promptly shot down along with the minister by the didi. And that made me wonder as to why the bravehearts who dived under the cot then, are now planting stories of their bravery in the national media. The spinelessness followed by sycophantic behaviour of the bureaucratic leadership sickens me.

Yet, the fact remains that the transfer of the railways to a mainline party augurs well for the monolith that despite being disabled and deflated by its own bureaucrats still remains the most visible symbol of dynamic delivery in a nation, now known only for its scams and delivery failures.

A mainline minister would do us a lot of good, provided the octopus bureaucracy of the railways lets him and not leads him up the path to nowhere.

The fundamental problem with the railways is its bureaucracy, a bureaucracy that feeds on its constituents, a bureaucracy that regards all subordinates as untrustworthy and all superiors as worthy of worship, a scenario one is unable to avoid even at the apex levels. A bureaucracy that regards as blasphemous even offering advice to its own ministers, yet unfailingly and with amazing regularity shoves advice sans support to all lower levels. “Lick above and kick below” has unfortunately become the motto of the senior bureaucracy in this organization.

Perhaps the biggest battle that the new minister would have to wage is against a mediocre run of the mill bureaucratic establishment.  Funds would necessitate a mere stroke of a pen, but changing the mindset of an almost dead, yet deadly bureaucracy would perhaps be the real challenge for the new minister.