This refers to the editorial "Red Signals". (July 12). The Railway Unions' demand for a new pay commission has some merit since the government has not been able to control prices. The Railway Vision Document 2020 concedes that the Indian Railways has the most bloated labour force in the world. Successive Railway ministers have paid little or no attention to over staffing. All the promises about improving safety, training and finances have taken a back seat. In a country beset with a serious power problem, the switch from diesel to electric locomotive is debatable. A diesel locomotive does not draw an iota of electric energy and is a virtual power house on wheels, converting fossil fuel directly, eliminating the transmission losses involved in electric traction which can be as high as 30 per cent.
M M Gurbaxani, Bangalore
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