Mass killing on rail track

WRINGING of hands is the habitual reaction of Rail Bhavan to accidents ("Mass killing on rail track", August 3). Also, the ordering of a statutory enquiry and apportioning of blame in due course. All this has been gone through this time along one additional gesture. The quantum of compensation has been raised to Rs 5 lakh for the dead and Rs 4 lakh for the seriously injured.

It has also been announced that there will be no delay in disbursing the amount. So be it. But not many will be convinced that the Vajpayee government was motivated by humanitarian considerations. An element of political considerations seems to have gone into this.

After all, it is an election year and there is no reason for the Centre to provide the Opposition with an additional stick to beat it with. A show of thoughtfulness laced with generosity, coupled with Railway Minister Nitish Kumar's resignation offer may pay electoral dividends later this year.

It can be said without being an alarmist that accidents are just waiting to happen in the case of Indian Railways. A particularly worrisome aspect of the chronicle of accidents in India has been that more than half of the major mishaps are attributable to "human failure", an inexcusable euphemism for gross negligence on the part of the railway staff.

As Mr Nitish Kumar himself has said, the Gaisal railway accident has occurred due to human failure — the staff's failure to carry out the laid down instructions. No doubt, the accusing finger should point at those who are charged with the responsibility of keeping the lines safe.

To reduce the incidence of staff "negligence", stringent action against errant personnel needs to be enforced by more mobile General Managers. Field inspections need to be intensified to ensure alertness and efficiency among the operating staff. A substantial reduction in human failures will mean a sizeable fall in the number of Khanna-and-Gaisal-type fatal accidents.

It may be recalled that the safety measures that were introduced in the early sixties and maintained till the early seventies brought about a marked decline in the accident rate. These included education, effective supervision, introduction of technical aids and prompt disciplinary action as a deterrent against unsafe practices and incorrect methods of working, coupled with the award of safety shields for consistently good and long records of safety.

For quite sometime Indian Railway's safety record compared most favourably with many of the more advanced Western railway systems with all their sophisticated devices. And what once was achieved can without doubt be achieved again and even bettered if the effort is made once again. Admitted that in a vast network as the railways it is humanly impossible to avoid accidents; the trick is to minimise the chances. Sadly enough, it is not being done.

K.M. VASHIST
Mansa

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Powerless Head of State

This refers to controversial decisions taken by the present BJP-led caretaker government about which the President seems to have reservations. It is no doubt an odd feature of our parliamentary system that a Prime Minister who has been voted out by the Lok Sabha, and the Lok Sabha (to whom he and his Cabinet were collectively responsible) is itself dissolved should continue to function like before till the new Lok Sabha is constituted some six months hence. To whom is the Prime Minister and his Cabinet responsible and accountable during this long interregnum?

On the other hand, the President, who was elected by a record 94.97 per cent of the total value votes, feels powerless against the Prime Minister’s intransigence on not even to put on hold certain controversial measures till the next Lok Sabha is constituted.

It may seem necessary, therefore, that (i) the constitutional provision made by 44th amendment (1978) to Article 74(1), which obliges the President to act in accordance with the Council of Ministers’ advice tendered after reconsideration (where asked for by the President) is made inapplicable in the case of a caretaker government, and (ii) the interregnum between two Lok Sabha is reduced to the minimum possible by holding early elections.

B.N. KOHLI
Faridabad

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Tuition menace

The Haryana government has banned private tuition for the lecturers and teachers working in government colleges. It is a welcome step. Students and parents are very happy with this decision. The order, however, does not apply to those lecturers and teachers who are working in the government-aided private colleges. They are getting the pay scale and allowances as given to government college lecturers. Is it justified?

Surprisingly, 95 per cent of the monthly salary is being given by the Haryana government to the lecturers of the private colleges as a grant.

Strict action should be taken to stop private tuition altogether. Besides, officials of the Income Tax Department should take appropriate steps against such lecturers.

SUNIL KUMAR DOGRA
Chandigarh

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Pensioners’ unending wait

The fourth Punjab Pay Commission in its report on pensions and other retirement benefits, submitted to the government on February 20 last year, made 10 major recommendations. Though almost one and a half years have elapsed, the Badal administration has so far implemented only one recommendation — revision of pensions.

The other recommendations remain unimplemented. These include old age allowance at the rate of 5% and 10% on attaining the age of 65 and 75 years, respectively; 97% D.A. admissible on 1.7.93 to be counted for gratuity; benefit in pension for the service rendered beyond 33 years; restoration of the commuted pension after 11 and a half years; reservation of plots and flats in PUDA colonies; and at least 50 per cent pension to the retiree of the minimum of the revised grade of the post he held at the time of retirement.

It is highly deplorable that Punjab, despite having the highest per capita income in the country, is dilly-dallying in implementing the recommendations. There is no point in setting up a pay commission if its recommendations are not to be accepted. Pensioners seek a fair deal from the Badal regime.

The pre-1986 retirees, who are in the evening of their life, want early settlement of their cases for the notional fixation of pay/revision of pension pending in the office of the Accountant-General (Punjab), Chandigarh. The pensioners want house rent allowance at the flat rate of Rs 100 per month, an increase in the medical allowance from Rs 250 to Rs 300 per month, restoration of travel concession to both husband and wife pensioners, early release of the list of chronic diseases, re-computation of pensions of those who retired between 1.1.96 and 30.9.96, parity in the pensions of pre-and-post-1996 retirees on the Central Government pattern and setting up of an anomaly committee to deal with the anomalies arising out of the revision of pensions.

YASH PAUL GHAI
Ludhiana