I used to be an avid traveller. Obviously, that means my parents used to travel a lot and I would accompany them. We would embark on bi-annual trips to a city I never knew much about, despite being born there-Hyderabad. I vividly remember the announcements ringing through the railway station. My zeal for travel was such that I would prepare a list of the stations the train passed through, and stays awake to check if the journey was going as scheduled. I used to note down the delays, and predict our arrival times-I was all of 10 years then.
Years later, a trip to the station revives memories that make me stop at my spot. Yet, when I see how the government recovers only about 40% of the fare, I seem to wonder why and whether privatization is the only answer to a PSU, which is not exactly running on a huge profit.
At the outset, I would like to clarify that I would immensely dislike to see corporation (IRCTC) broken up into many divisions, operated by private operators. Would railways grow cheaper, then my option would be yes. Privatization across various sectors has resulted in betterment of services offered. Yet, something about the currently privatized aviation sector feels too corporate.
Rather than give up on it, I feel the government should convent this huge network into a joint sector venture. To have IRCTC coordinate amongst various players across the country, would perhaps give it the boost it badly needs. Decentralization, with a bit of corporate would help.
Indian Railways also has to embark on internal reforms, to speed up infrastructural changes, and cut through the red tape. I feel that if the government cannot profit off a network as large, it reflects more on the government/organization’s incompetence. There are certainly manly things that need to be rectified in the corporation, rather than pushing off the corporation to private players entirely, it would make sense that they worked together to make the venture sustainable, and eventually, profitable.
ANAND.S
XII-A