New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha Monday witnessed an outpouring of concerns raised by the Opposition regarding the state of the Indian Railways during passage of The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024.
These ranged from a near-collapse of the safety system, lack of accountability in the face of a spate of accidents and stampedes, demands for the minister’s resignation, staggering vacancies in the department, lack of transparency in the wake of the abolition of a separate railway budget, and the over-centralization of power with the Railway Board.
The bill sought to repeal the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905, and incorporate its provisions into the Railways Act, 1989, that regulates various aspects of the functioning and administration of the Indian Railways. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill last December.
On Monday, debate on the bill, which was later passed in the Upper House through a voice vote, saw a heated exchange between Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Opposition MPs, who called it a “cosmetic change” at a time when the railways is in the need of a comprehensive overhaul. Congress MP Vivek Tankha, for instance, said that while Vaishnaw has an “innovative mindset,” and is a “tech-lover,” he has a “bureaucratic mindset”.
He does not have the “political open-mindedness” to run the railways, which is not merely a sum of railway tracks and engines, but a means to unify the country, said Tankha.
Hitting back at Tankha, Vaishnaw said, “Yes, I am a bureaucrat and a technocrat. But my commitment to the country is no less than that of a politician. If there is a problem with my commitment, then raise a finger, otherwise you have no right to point a finger.”
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Provisions of Railways (Amendment) Act 2024
The government’s intention behind bringing the bill was to do away with technical tangles created by the existence of two separate, but overlapping legislations governing the Indian Railways. In the pre-Independence era, the construction of the railway network in the country began as a branch of the Public Works Department (PWD).
But as the network expanded, a separate act—the Indian Railways Act, 1890—was enacted to ensure proper functioning of the railways. But the railway organisation continued to be under the PWD. This too was changed in 1905, and a separate Indian Railway Board Act was enacted, with the Railway Board getting its powers from the 1890 law.
Decades later, the 1890 law was repealed, and the Railways Act of 1989 was enacted.
Meanwhile, the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905, continued to exist, with the chairman and members of the Railway Board being appointed under this law.
The 2024 amendment seeks to remove this duplicity of legislation by integrating the Indian Railway Board Act, 1905, into the Railways Act of 1989
Even as Opposition MPs argued that the government was trying to take control of the Railway Board through this amendment, Vaishnaw assured the House that the amendment only seeks to simplify existing legislations. However, Opposition MPs termed the proposed amendment a cosmetic change, and a missed opportunity to review the overall functioning of the railways, which several of them argued, has been in a state of disarray.
Demands for minister’s resignation
Several Opposition MPs raised concerns regarding the inadequate safety provisions in the railways. Between 2014-2023, there were 678 rail accidents, in which 781 people lost their lives, while over 1,500 were injured, Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev said.
“Does this not call for accountability?” she asked. While the provision of sovereign immunity under the Railways Act of 1989 exempts the rail minister from prosecution, the Prime Minister should have demanded Vaishnaw’s resignation, especially in the aftermath of the February stampede at the New Delhi railway station, she said.
Tankha too argued that in the face of such accidents, high-profile leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri, Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee all offered to resign. This, Tankha said, only enhances the legitimacy of democracy. Resigning or not in such situations depends on the vivek (discretion) of each individual, he said without naming Vaishnaw.
AAP MP Sandeep Pathak, who said his party supports the bill, too echoed the same sentiment—stop holding individual officers responsible for accidents, and take political responsibility for them, he said.
Over-centralization in railways
Tankha further argued that the bill is, in fact, the source of the problem plaguing the railways because it shows the “sarkarikaran” of the Railway Board.
The Railway Board was conceived as an autonomous body with powers independent from the ministry and the government, Tankha argued. But the proposed bill seeks to make it “minister-driven,” he said.
Several MPs too pointed to the “over-centralization” of Indian Railways.
For the smallest of financial decisions, the General Managers and DRMs have to wait for a nod from the Railway Board, said AAP’s Pathak, pointing to the need for decentralization.
Staggering vacancies, high fares
RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said that while the railways used to be the biggest employer in the country, it has over 3.12 lakh vacancies at present.
Calling the figure “appalling”, Dev further said that there are 1.52 lakh vacant posts in the safety department itself.
Pathak said that the railways’ management needed an overhaul, given that its operating cost is too high, investment in capacity building is low, 70 percent of its revenue is spent on salaries, and accidents are at a high. “This Bill is a missed opportunity,” he remarked.
Several MPs, including Tankha, Jha and Dev also talked about the ambitious Vande Bharat project running at the cost of other affordable passenger trains. “Eighty percent of this country still travels in other trains,” said Jha. But the government is only interested in spending on Vande Bharat, which remains unaffordable for the common man.
Tankha, on the other hand, said that while the fare for Vande Bharat is about Rs 200 more than Shatabdi, its speed is more than that of Shatabdi by only a kilometre per hour. The fares are increasing in the absence of any real improvement in the facilities, he contended. “Is the government competing with the private sector (in terms of prices)?” Tankha said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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Ashwini Vaishnaw has to be the worst Railway Minister of India in the 21st century. His penchant for chanting Modi’s name and engaging in shameless bootlicking to further his career is there for all to see. In every single press conference, he keeps repeating the PM’s name like a mantra and throws in other words like “Vishwaguru”, “Amrit Kaal”, etc. which have little to no relevance to the issue being discussed.
His love for PR drives through his reels has quite rightly earned him the moniker “Reel Minister”. He has been a big let down for the Modi government. Utterly incompetent as a minister and absolutely insensitive as a human being.
The present rly minister of BJP reducing the number of General bogies in all the trains…
80% peoples are travel in General bogies or Sleeper class..but this Govt is for only Rich Tycoons & started Bullet, Vande Bharat etc
Now congress & BJP of same category…