Cassandra Crossing

A just cause poorly fought and lost. That sums up Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee's disastrous campaign opposing the creation of seven new railway zones in the country (in addition to the existing nine). Her shrill cries about regionalism and bad blood between states only helped bete noire Union railway minister Nitish Kumar gloss over the disastrous administrative impact of his proposals, set to cost the railways anywhere between Rs 700-1,000 crore.

Later, even her own party leaders admitted that "Mamata should have focused more on the major demerits of the new proposals...but these were barely mentioned in her letter to the PM prior to the central cabinet meeting of July 28".

Consider the level of opposition to the Great Railway bifurcation idea. Most expert bodies rejected the proposals saying they would increase bureaucratisation, impede rather than encourage efficiency, add to operating costs and violate basic norms of efficient mergers. The only benefit, if that is the word, is the spawning of more new and unproductive jobs and building contracts. Asks an ex-Railway Board official: "Why on earth are they creating unnecessary jobs even as they talk about reducing flab?"

The Rakesh Mohan committee had rejected the proposals for new zones categorically. The CAG opined it would lead to fiscal mismanagement. The Planning Commission had never endorsed fresh bifurcations in the first place. The Railway Board decisively opposed it. Six ex-Board chiefs wrote only days ago to the PM, opposing what they called the "Hajipurisation" of rail reforms. (Hajipur in Bihar, represented by Ram Vilas Paswan, is to emerge as a major rail hub if the new proposals are implemented.)

In fact, Mamata did raise some pertinent questions: "How can one non-technical man ignore so many authorities and experts? Urgent projects involving investment of Rs 35,000 crore have been pending for years, safety cess is taken from people without anything in return. Are these not important? It isn't merely a Bihar vs Bengal issue. Why is the NDA silent?" Nobody at the Centre has credible answers. But as some of her own party colleagues point out, the core issue was derailed by Mamata's histrionics, the focus shifting to her blackmailing of the NDA.

Senior rail officials wonder if the government can afford the guesstimate figures of Rs 700-1,000 crore. New finance minister Jaswant Singh has said the financial implications need to be studied. Nitish Kumar maintains the Railways will foot the bill. "By this, he means higher tariffs for freight and passengers, with no improvement in amenities," observes the Eastern Railway Passengers Association spokesperson.

Indeed, the idea of bifurcation finds no comparable parallel, even globally. "In the US, rail zones have come down from over 20 to 4 and in China, from 38 to 4, to achieve better efficiency. So why are we adding new zones?" asks an ex-Railway Board member. Global trends aren't unknown to officials or politicians, with the frequent study tours abroad.

Nitish Kumar, however, maintains that bifurcation would achieve greater efficiency. Senior rail officials can't see how. For instance, a Delhi-Howrah journey at present involves coordination between two zonal authorities. Under the new scheme, four zones would come into play. Officials say with computerisation, new zones make no sense.

A Board member asks: "Can multiple authorities, apart from creating fresh ticket quotas for different regions, reduce travel time? What about accident reduction and better security measures, issues affecting passengers directly? What about ticketless travel, the bane of rail journeys in the East?"

The only rationale for the new zones is political. TMC leaders say smaller rail zones go well with the BJP's penchant for creating smaller states.Having failed to unseat Laloo Yadav in Bihar, the party created a new state for tribals—Jharkhand. If a new rail zone in Hajipur can provide it a foothold, why not go for it is the thinking in the BJP and the Samata.

Mamata has called for a Bengal bandh on August 5. She has also threatened to quit the NDA if the Centre does not review the bifurcation plan. But the BJP is no mood to listen even though her concern, this time, is genuine.