Mamata should go

The early morning railway disaster at Sainthia in West Bengal that has left scores dead and many more critically injured may have been just an accident. However,its still too early to be certain,as there are some unanswered questions and the Railways will conduct an investigation. But its unlikely this tragedy will draw parallels with intentional damage as the Jnaneswari Express was sub-ject to last May. From the face of it,it looks like a human error the driver of the Uttarbanga Express overshooting a signal,failing to slow down and ramming into the rear of the other train. That the trains were on the same track will also come under the scanner. The issue at hand,therefore,is not one single accident but the spate of railway accidents weve witnessed for a year,the conduct of the Union railway minister and a particular kind of politics that remains her trademark.

Despite the ambitions of the railway budget,albeit much of it,as argued in these columns,misdirected,little has changed in the ground reality of railway services and passenger safety. Long-awaited technological upgrade vis-a-vis signalling and track maintenance hasnt come about,nor has a blueprint for minimising human error something no large-scale public transportation service can altogether avoid. As Indias largest single employer and a behemoth ferrying dependent passengers to and from every corner of this vast country,the Indian Railways are distinctly not a 21st century public utility. And having a railway minister at the helm least interested in her charge,engaged as she is in securing the political ground in her home state,only makes matters worse. And you can only wonder how her constituents see her administrative skills.

Which brings us to the inevitable politics,Mamata Banerjee-style. Once again,the railway minister has irresponsibly hinted at conspiracy,as she had,more vehemently,after the Jnaneswari disaster. Hers is a brand of politics that confines itself to muckraking and name-calling,high-pitched rhetoric and shoddy public spectacles. Without any trace of substance,programme and delivery. She doesnt appreciate that Indian politics moved on long ago,and that shes a relic,albeit a unique relic. Her flawed response to the latest disaster is simply confirmation that the Railways cannot afford her at the helm.