Letter to BS: Why Indian Railways privatisation should not be hasty

This refers to the edit “Fast trains at slow speed” (March7). Having partially privatised most of the transport sector, there is no reason to babysit Indian Railways (IR) in the face of increased passenger traffic and continued slippage in share of cargo movement by the IR. The proposal to privatise 50 stations and introduce 150 trains is too little to make any dent in railways’ fortunes, given the sheer size of the railway network. The Rakesh Mohan Committee Report of 2002 must be salvaged from railway godowns and action must be taken to corporatise Indian Railways. A railways regulatory body