Our compatriots always complain that the Indian government does not provide us with facilities which developed countries like USA, UK, and Japan etc provide to their citizens. However, a vital question that needs to be asked is: Do we even deserve such facilities? The answer seems a clear-cut ‘NO’ if we look at whatever happened recently with all the newly launched premium trains of India.
The government has been bringing new trains with world class amenities for our comfort and convenience, but we refrain from fulfilling our duty as a responsible citizen of the country. We lack basic common civic sense and decency. Almost, all premium trains have fallen prey to acts of vandalism. The latest one in the list is Train 18- India’s first engineless train for long distance travel. During its semi-high speed trials on the Delhi-Agra stretch, Train 18 suffered damage, as a vandal pelted stones at it breaking its glass. The ICF GM Sudhanshu Mani shared this unfortunate news on his Twitter handle. He tweeted, “Train 18 running at 180 km/h bet Delhi and Agra at this time. Srinivas, the Chief Design Engineer of ICF is in the cab, they touched 181 km/h for record sake, some vandal threw a stone breaking a glass, hope we nab him.”
Train 18 running at 180 km/h bet Delhi and Agra at this time…Srinivas, the Chief Design Enginner of ICF is in the cab, they touched 181 kmh for record sake 😊…some vandal threw a stone breaking a glass, hope we nab him. pic.twitter.com/YXpqUS6qqC
— ManiSudhanshu (@ManiSudhanshu58) December 20, 2018
Such irresponsible and uncivilized acts of our fellow compatriots gives rise to an important question: Do we even deserve whatever we are getting? This is not the first instance where the Indian Railways have suffered loss and damage of property due to unruly passengers who indulge in acts of vandalism. Earlier, Tejas Express between Mumbai and Goa suffered a fate similar to Train 18. The travelers damaged its LCD screens, stole headphones, soiled the toilets and littered the entire train during its first journey from Goa to Mumbai. Earlier, Tejas Express was vandalized by unidentified men while on its way from the Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala to Mumbai, ANI reported.
The Varanasi-Vadodara Mahamana Express, a high-profile train that was flagged off by PM Modi suffered similar vandalism. Travelers stole carpets, lavatory taps, and hand showers. There were scratches on many seats, and some mirrors were also broken. Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer of Western Railway, told Mirror, “We are trying our best to provide modern facilities to every passenger. It is very disappointing if some miscreants steal taps and showers from the lavatory. They didn’t even spare the carpets. The coaches were defaced too.” A Railway official rightly went to the extent of saying, “The condition of the general coaches was especially bad. This makes us wonder whether the passengers are fit to use such advanced facilities.”
https://twitter.com/Interceptors/status/693373249229443072
See what the passengers did to Modi’s #MahamanaExpress
Shameful for people to have no civil sense. pic.twitter.com/PmtOj8aEGT— Anil Nindawat (@anilnindawat) January 31, 2016
In October, there were reports that Indian Railways may do away with the curtains that cover the passenger cubicles of air-conditioned Two Tier coaches. Some passengers use the curtains for purposes of wiping their hands, cleaning their footwear; some passengers also go to the extent of using it as a towel. Railway authorities are finding it extremely difficult to maintain curtains because of the insensitivity of passengers. A Railway official said, “Those looking for privacy can opt for 1AC coaches where they can travel in a cabin. Not only maintenance of curtains is difficult, but passengers also use them for cleaning of shoes and sometimes as towels.”
From traveling without a ticket to stealing health faucets, mugs, mirrors, blankets, pillows and even pillow covers – there have been many instances of passengers showing disregard and insensitivity towards public property. The Railways should come up with a manual for rail passengers on how to treat railway property, and other government properties. Before pointing a finger against government and authorities we should self introspect. We should be ashamed of the way we treat public property. The government cannot change anything unless we change.
