At the Crossroads

You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now. --Joan Baez When men and women agree,it is only in their conclusions;their reasons are always different

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

An illusory feat

They represent the dreams and aspirations of a billion plus population and are responsible for the welfare of the nation.They sit in the hallowed enclosure of the parliament and make big promises most of which are broken mercilessly. They instill faith in the public and crush them when their purpose is served.Hardly anything is done in the name of development and growth, yet the common man is forced to pay tax and comply with the rules and regulations.

Railway minister,Lalu prasad yadav must be ecstatic after winning accolades from almost all the quarters for his "pro-poor" railway budget.He shut the critics by showing an unprecendented profit and bringing the railways back on track.Lalu- the name was a by-word of scorn and opprobrium throughout the country after the infamous fodder scam.He lost Bihar to Nitish, but he did not flinch.The unperturbed Lalu moved on to become the railway minister and such is the irony that a Bsc grad is invited at the country's best B-School to give them management gyan.After all he managed to show surplus in railways that was operating in the red over many years. Great show!!


In my opinion,the budget is a big farce. What has been done over the past 2 years or for that matter since independence??Railways is the most badly hit sector with very little development.I wince at the thought of travelling by train to Bihar from Chennai.Way back in 2000, we decided to visit Bihar to attend my cousin's wedding.The endless wait on the platform, no water and the heat of May, bad bathrooms and shabbily dresses onlookers- nothing less than hell.The budget talks all about cutting down fares, concessions and reduction is freight charges, its also about adding extra bogies and opening up vending machines for e-ticketing. Sounds very funny :))


The common man will be happy if the basic needs are met.The government must try to impart a new impetus to growth and investment by removing the existing obstacles.Security is the biggest concern and must be addressed immediately.Local trains always go packed and there is hardly any improvement in this area.There are a million ways to improve the condition of the railways and also show profit.Smart ways and good policy making can change the face of the railways,provided Lalu is ousted as am pretty sure he will be majorly involved in misappropriating funds.

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