DNA Edit | Train to nowhere: Indian Railways has long gone off track

As the death toll mounts — at least 23 people have lost their lives and more than 70 injured — in the Utkal Express derailment mishap in UP, the spotlight once again lays bare the abysmal state of the Railways and the sheer mismanagement of what is called the lifeline of India. The trading of charges among different sections of the Railways and a sabotage angle trotted out earlier in the day cannot suppress the fact that Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has comprehensively failed to bring this most important form of public transport back on track. When Prabhu took charge in November 2014, it was widely believed that he would bring corporate-style governance to a beleaguered institution that has often been perceived as the fiefdom of Railway ministers.

Like all PSUs, it, too, has been abused and exploited over the years — in a culture of zero accountability — since governments were keener on vote-catching sops than investing in the Railways. The resultant mess, perhaps, has become too big for Prabhu to handle. As with all man-made tragedies, some people will have to shoulder the blame and get the axe – the government needs to be seen taking stringent action in the face of public outcry and anguish. But another derailment may not be far away in time because the systemic crises that plague the Railways are as old as Independent India. One merely needs to look at the last 10 months to gauge the Railways’ track record: The Indore-Patna Express derailment in December 2016 near Kanpur had claimed 150 lives; in the same month, the Sealdah-Ajmer Express went off the tracks, injuring 63 passengers; in January, it was the turn of the Hirakhand Express to topple and kill 32 people.

Though the Railways had cried hoarse about ‘sabotage’, prompting the National Investigating Agency, which has been roped in to probe the latest tragedy as well, to investigate, the NIA is yet to come up with conclusive proof to back the Railways’ claims. Shockingly, in the 99 big and small accidents between 2016 and 17, track defects accounted for 40 of these cases. Prima facie, this time, track maintenance and communication gaps among the authorities seem to be the cause of the tumble. Let’s face it: The Railways cannot function the way it is now.

The ballooning deficit prevents an overhaul of the infrastructure, which is worn out and outmoded. A terminally-ill patient requires a lot more than empty assurances to prolong his life.