It sounds rather paradoxical when Laloo says, " I was not allowed to work for Bihar during my 16 years in the power there". (Sounds like the communists in WB) Why has he taken 16 years to admit this and why did he not withdraw and give the chance to someone else - if he had the interest of Biharis' in mind? None of the populist gimmicks he announced in the Railways has really worked. What has really happened is that since he knows little of what is actually happening around him, the bureaucrats are having a field day of it. The success is of the bureaucrats who have managed to get the Railways to stoop to atrocious levels to increase revenues. The worst hit is the industry and the common man. The simplest way to understand the issue is to study the facts relating to goods revenue. There are three facts to be noted: 1. As frequently asseted by the Railways, there has been no increase in the goods tariff rates over the previous year. 2. The decrease in quantity of goods carried this year during the corresponding period April to August is to the tune of 3.39 per cent. 3. The increase in revenue over the corresponding period previous year is 16.47 per cent (the data is from the official Railway site and is projected vide ref 2006/Stat-II/26/1 of the Jt. Director, Statistics-II dated 12.09.06). Amazingly, the Railways carried less and earned more! And without any freight rate increase? Playing jugglery with rate classifications is something the industry understands too well. What is difficult to swallow is the manner in which faulty weighbridges are purposely being misused by local rail officials in heavy load areas to levy penalties to the tune of crore. With the minister himself taking credit for such malpractices and being honoured by reputed institutions for fleecing the public at large it is definitely tough to expect results. If the alumni of IIMs' are to learn how to use such tactics everywhere,
God save the nation!
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