Hot seat - Indra Ghosh,

general manager, East Coast Railway

There is a general perception that the railways has neglected Odisha over the years. The state’s interest has been sidelined, as it doesn’t have a railway minister.

Every state has the same complaint. The fact that a state’s interest is better protected if it has a railway minister is correct to a certain extent. That does make a difference. And considering the rapid industrialisation process in Odisha, we have taken up a number of projects in Sambalpur division.

There has been slow progress of work in various railway projects. Why is it so?

Land acquisition and fund constraints are the major reasons. Projects worth Rs 4 lakh crore have been sanctioned. If we take a conservative estimate of six per cent inflation, Rs 18,000 crore per annum is required but the railways is allocating Rs 6,000 crore.

Now, the time has come to prioritise work and put some projects in the cold storage. The government has to take a call on the issue of financial return of a project. We are losing Rs 20,000 crore per annum because of passenger business.

How would you react to the allegation that the progress in various railway projects has slowed down due to Railway Vikash Nigam Limited (RVNL) working at a snail’s pace?

There were a few problems regarding contractors, who were terminated. Those have been sorted out and things would improve.

Many rail routes pass through Maoist-infested areas. Your employees must have raised concerns about their safety. How do you deal with security issues?

There is nothing that we can do. You can’t deploy a cop after each person. The state government doesn’t take a proactive role. Railway properties are lying in the middle of nowhere. Anybody can stop a train by waving a red flag.

The state governments, particularly the Chhattisgarh government, are helpless. It takes less than five minutes to dig up a rail track. You can’t check all that even if you intensify patrolling.

Isn’t ticketless travel an area of concern? Aren’t you losing a huge amount of revenue because of that?

We are conducting periodic checks and drives to stop ticketless travelling.

We are not losing huge revenue as our people track down violators and penalise them.

The railways have failed to adopt safety measures for which the number of accidents has increased over the years.

Today, the best of technology is available in the world but they come at a price. An anti-collision device can cost you nearly Rs 50,000 crore.

Since the 50s, while the population of western countries has doubled, ours has increased by a whooping 350 per cent. But while they have been investing their resources to upgrade their rail system, we are using ours to carry more people and freight. That is why our safety has suffered.

There have been several accidents at unmanned level crossings. How do you plan to check that?

Honestly, we can’t completely eliminate accidents unless people are conscious of their personal safety.

The recent accident at a Sambalpur level crossing was because of the carelessness of the autorickshaw driver and 13 people were killed.

The driver was listening to music on his phone while crossing over to the other side. So, he could not even hear the passengers’ advice to stop.

In the US, all railway crossings are unmanned. We must know how much a country can afford. The railway ministry is making a five-year plan on how to check such accidents in future.

Are there any plans for Bhubaneswar railway station?

We have prepared a master plan to upgrade the station in the next three years at a budget of Rs 205 crore.

The plan includes a multi-level parking space to accommodate 4,000 two-wheelers and 900 cars, a new station building, two additional platforms and a flyover on Master Canteen roundabout.

There will be five second class air-conditioned waiting halls with a capacity of 200 passengers each. It will also have an adequate number of multi-cuisine food stalls, book shops and medicine shops.

The upgraded station will have four upper class waiting halls to accommodate 150 passengers each, two executive lounges and a VIP lounge.

A satellite passenger terminal for new Bhubaneswar city is also being planned.

Do you think work for the modernisation of Puri railway station can be completed before Nabakalebara festival in 2015?

We are hopeful, though it is a big challenge.

We have nominated our officers and the state government has nominated some of its own. They are working out the modalities.

The Centre is providing funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission to relocate slums by constructing single and multi-storey buildings.

We have suggested the Odisha government to reap maximum benefit out of it and they are also taking steps in this regard. Once the slums are relocated, we will have cleaner areas.

Tough taskmaster

Indra Ghosh, known for taking tough decisions, heads the East Coast Railway

Ghosh, who completed his graduation in mathematics and post-graduation in western history from Lucknow University, joined the Indian Railways Traffic Service in 1976

He used to work as chief operations manager of Northern Railway in New Delhi before being posted as the general manager of the East Coast Railway

Ghosh has worked in various operating posts in Northern and North-East Frontier Railway

He was sent on special assignment with Canadian National Railways in Montreal

He has also worked as executive director (freight marketing) in the railway board

During that period, he was instrumental in boosting freight and parcel loading in Indian Railways through innovative policies

He was posted as divisional railway manager (DRM) in Waltair Division of East Coast Railways from 2006 to 2008

On completion of his tenure as DRM, he was promoted to a higher administrative grade and posted as advisor (rates) in the railway board and chief operations manager in Northern Railway

Ghosh is an avid reader and a sports enthusiast, badminton and chess being his pet passions

What would you have been had you not chosen a career in the railways?

Like most other children, I was fascinated by trains and rail tracks when I was young.

I had always wanted to be associated with the railways and I am glad that I
landed here.

But if I have to think of an alternative option, I think I would have been an academic.

Even at this stage, I am invited to various places to give lectures on different topics.
I am a lover of literature and read books at quite a mad pace.