VIP culture in railways

For years, Indian Railways' VIP culture has been associated with travelling in saloons

Most people have read the news report. There was an innocuous sounding letter from the Railway Board, dated September 28, 2017, and titled “Protocol to be observed during visits of CRB and Board Members”. 

IR (Indian Railways) had instructions/guidelines of protocol at airports and railway stations, dated 2005, 1989 and 1981, referred to as “orders”. The September 2017 order/letter stated, “The above orders stand withdrawn with immediate effect.” What was said in 2005, 1989 and 1981? 2005 was more like a warning. “These instructions have been reiterated from time to time. However, there have been a few instances of the protocol procedure not being followed during the visits of CRB (Chairman Railway Board) and Board members. I shall appreciate if the instructions/guidelines issued in the matter are strictly followed.” From the letter (not just spirit) of the 2005 letter, one deduces protocol was being observed for ministers, but not necessarily for CRB and Board members. What was the protocol? When CRB visited a zone (on duty), the GM would have to receive CRB on arrival/departure at the airport/railway station. For financial commissioner (FC) and other Board members, the duty devolved on PHOD (principal head of department), but GM “shall make himself available”.

What about 1989? That protocol was restated and the letter said, “An instance has come to notice recently where the protocol procedure to be followed by General Managers/HODs was not followed by a Railway when a Board Member was on tour on the Railway.” IR’s structure is extremely hierarchical. Therefore, it is unlikely it will generally be breached and all one had was “an instance”. That takes one to 1981. If one goes by newspaper reportage, one will be led to believe it all started in 1981 and a 36-year-old protocol has been scrapped. In part, Railway Board’s letter of September 28, 2017, is to blame, suggesting it all started with the letter dated 16.02.1981. If you track the archives, you will discover there was a letter dated January 27, 1968. This stated, “Over the years, a convention has developed of General Managers meeting the CRB…” Even before 1968, there was a letter dated April 3, 1965, saying the same thing. In other words, what has been scrapped is a convention/protocol much older than 36 years.

Colonia legacy: According to reports, 30,000 trackmen work in homes of senior officials as domestic help and after a recent decision, senior officials have lost this privilege. Photo: Reuters

There has probably been slight misreporting on another item too. According to reportage, 30,000 trackmen work in homes of senior officials as domestic help and after a recent decision, senior officials have lost this privilege. Historically, there were different designations for Group D staff (like trackmen), but they have all been re-designated as multi-tasking staff (MTS), separately for departments like commercial, traffic transportation, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, S&T stores and medical. Across these categories, aggregate of Group D staff (if one doesn’t include RPF and RPSF) will be around 75,000. How can 30,000 trackmen work as domestic help? This news item must therefore refer to TADKs (telephone attendant-cum-dak khalasi), a colonial legacy of bungalow peons that has finally been scrapped after several years of debate. Stated simply, appointment as temporary TADKs violated norms of transparency and fair competition. After three years, temporary TADKs were permanently absorbed as Group D staff. What must have been scrapped is the TADK system. I don’t have a precise figure on the number of TADKs. My guess is around 3,000. Add to that RPF staff deployed in bungalows and you have a number around 6,000. However, more important than the number is the signal.

“Before she went to sleep she looked at the photograph of him (her husband) she kept in her bag, and that night she dreamed of him playing rummy with their children in the saloon car.” “He travelled in a special saloon car, complete with lounge, dining room, bedroom and servants’ quarters. His job was to design, build and inspect railway systems, including bridges and viaducts.” Guess where these two quotes are from. It’s Vikram Seth. The first is from “A Suitable Boy” and the second, explaining the character, from “Two Lives”. For years, IR’s VIP culture has been associated with travelling in saloons. That too has ended now. In National Railway Museum, I once saw an old “gold pass”. I didn’t quite understand its significance until I read about the hierarchy of gold passes, silver passes and bronze passes and the Railway Servants’ Pass Rules. While on saloons, there is a presidential saloon too, built in 1956. It has carried several distinguished Presidents in the past, but is in terrible shape now and hasn’t been used since 2004. It might as well be junked.

As far as I know, the last railway minister who used the minister’s saloon was Lalu Prasad. No minister since then has used a saloon. This is a privilege any minister has, not just the railway minister, travelling by “reserved railway accommodation” aka saloon. “A Minister when travelling on duty by railway may reserve by requisition a standard gauge saloon, if for any reason, a saloon is not available for his use, he may reserve by requisition an inspection carriage. Similarly, when an inspection carriage is not available or if a saloon or an inspection carriage is not desired, the Minister may at his option reserve by requisition a first class compartment.” During his tenure, Lalu Prasad travelled by a saloon 369 times. However, IR officers regularly use saloons. At a pinch, these cost Rs 50 crore per year to maintain.

The author is chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Views are personal