By: Dr. Mohammad Aleem, Editor, ICN-Group
NEW DELHI: There are many ministries and government departments which claim that they have done a lot for changing the lives of general poor citizens. But by looking at them closely, you can easily realize their hollowness.
I take as an example of the Indian Railways.
Indian Railway is one of the largest railway networks of the world. It commutes more than two crore people from one place to another in a day. For every other Indian, it is like their lifeline.
When Narender Modi had taken the charge as the Prime Minister of India, among his many verbiages, he had promised that he would revamp the Indian Railways completely on the par with the world’s famous railways. I was also happy then to hear it as any other immigrants to the capital city, Delhi. Who can understand its importance more than a native of Bihar and Eastern UP, who still gets treated like a cattle in these so-called the world class Indian Railways while traveling ?
Of late, I had gone to Lucknow. Luckily, if you have a reserved AC class ticket, you are fortunate. But think a bit about all those poor travellers who are destined to travel in general compartments and non-AC coaches?
Time and again, it also frequently comes into news not only for good reasons but bad one also. A few months back, in Punjab, a deadly accident had taken place during the Dussehra festival. Around sixty people had lost their precious lives and many dozens injured. It happened on a railway track where illiterate and gullible people were watching the Dussehra festival. As the effigy of Ravana went up into flames, at the same time, a running train crushed them as they were not humans, but ants, unknowingly.
After that, as usual, a series of debate started what went wrong and who should put to blame. And after a few days of cacophony, all cries settled down as it had never happened before. And, sadly, it keeps happening with regular intervals.
Many a times, we have also heard about crushing of innocent lives on unmanned railway tracks or due to apathy of the railway officials or bad condition of the tracks or signalling problems etc.
I met with one of such survivors personally. Some years back, a young educated person met with an accident in Bihar. He was travelling in a Maruti Alto car with one of his relatives. There was a driver also. As their car reached to an unmanned railway crossing in the Sitamarhi district, where they had gone to attend some work, their car, unfortunately got stuck in the middle of the track at the crossing as its engine failed suddenly. They had no any clue that a train was coming in with the fast speed from one side.
But, before they could realize the danger and do anything to save themselves, the train had hit their car and dragged it to some forty feet before leaving it completely ruined and mangled. His relatives and the driver of the car bore the maximum brunt of the impact. One among them was killed on the spot, other seriously injured. But that lucky young man had escaped miraculously with some grievous injuries.
Still, that incident frightens him a lot and keeps him on constant medication. It instigated him to do something in this regard. He met with the railway authorities and tried to make them understand the gravity of the problem, but he was unsuccessful.
I am baffled to think that how on earth, the railway officials could ignore such important problems at all. They think, perhaps, that killing of innocent people on such railway crossings don’t impact their work and business so hard. So, they allow it to let it pass easily. Neither any politician feels threatened that he or she will loss their seat or power of authority for dereliction of their duties.
Modi Government had come with a lot of dreams for people. But unfortunately, those dreams could never be realised.
There are thousands and thousands of such unmanned crossings in India and could easily be manned with some simple resources and money. And there are other festering problems which could be resolved if some seriousness applied.
I earnestly request to the people of India that don’t get swayed away by empty promises of the political leaders, but reject them them openly who dared to break their promises irrespective of their party affiliations. Sadly, they can spend billions of dollars on the bullet trains, mammoth statues, renaming of the ancient cities and places, but not a few hundred millions on the basic needs of people like basic health, quality education, user friendly transports and clean environment etc. Leave the respectful employment issue. It is an Alladin’s dream for millions of Indian youths. For the present government, issue of hardcore nationality has become the main issue to avoid all other core issues.
Unfortunately, people are so naive and gullible that they are not able to discern what is good and what is bad for them. What are the real promises and what are hollow promises? Who are the genuine and committed leaders and who are fake and liars? One had promised fifteen lakhs and another is promising seventy two thousands an year.
Keep in mind. Nobody will come to save you until you pledge to save yourselves.
