Forget bullet trains, can Indians expect basic safety from the Railways?

Not only has the past one year seen the highest number of train derailments in a decade, we have now the added problem of people falling sick after eating food served on Indian Railways.

After the spate of derailments, including that of Utkal Express on August 19 this year that killed more than 20 and injured over 200, we have reports that 26 passengers have been hospitalised due to food poisoning on Tejas Express, a premium service that connects Mumbai with Goa.

The report in the Economic Times says that the incident took place in the Karmali-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Tejas Express, when passengers complained of “uneasiness” after eating food served by the train’s pantry.

Of course, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC ) is “following up” the matter, and has said that “follow up of action and monitoring is being done to ensure proper assistance”. Officials concerned have been suspended, according to the IRCTC press statement.

Group General Manaager, WZ has proceeded 2 Chiplun 4 coordination at d hospital 4 all arrangements 4 ensuring der comfort & onward movement. pic.twitter.com/pYq1Hv9VCC

— IRCTC (@IRCTC_Ltd) October 15, 2017

12 passengers have been discharged from hospital. They are presently at Chiplun stn., being escorted by IRCTC's staff.

— IRCTC (@IRCTC_Ltd) October 15, 2017

Checked up at the hospital, all the passenger are in a position to be discharged. Necessary transport arrangements are being made.

— IRCTC (@IRCTC_Ltd) October 15, 2017

 Though one is tempted to dismiss the incident on the Tejas Express as a one-off aberration, the general picture belies such a stance. Safety and security of passengers has become a bone of contention between callous authorities, who have been repeatedly called out for serial incompetence, and citizens, who, despite being wary of taking the train, have little other means to avail.

Though the ministry of railways saw a change of guard owing to a public outcry over innumerable train derailments – many happening in Uttar Pradesh alone – that saw Suresh Prabhu being shifted out, even under Piyush Goyal, not much improvement is in sight.

While derailments are caused by “shoddy control, speed mania”, ill-repaired tracks and overworked staff, the focus isn’t on improving the conditions of the on-track operations and maintenance at all.

At a time when basic health and safety of passengers can’t be ensured by the government, the focus on the politically scoring “bullet train” looks appalling. Media has been awash with reports on how the big brouhaha of the bullet train deal and the “low interest loan” from Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe flies in the face of the inordinate inefficiencies and chronic problems of India’s largest public transport network.

Many are also saying that connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad via bullet train is vote-bank and hypernationalism politics, and spending over Rs one lakh crore on the project is vanity at a time when the basic requirements are not being met.

The problem isn’t about the IRCTC, or Indian Railways alone, because Mumbai also saw the horrendous Elphinstone bridge manmade tragedy that killed 22 people when the footbridge collapsed on them. The tale of institutional apathy is one that hasn’t seen a single organisation and public system being spared from gross negligence, that doesn’t value lives of its own citizens.

Also read: Why we cannot empower our girls until we raise our boys to be feminists