Life on the Indian Railways in the Near Future
by A dark cloud is hanging over the life of the people attached to the railways. Still the railway staff will have to welcome the life as it will be. Who knows if, in an unfriendly and hostile environment, there will still remain those heavenly curves in their lips and eyes which we call smile.
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The Indian Railways may be viewed as the great life line of India because workers and employees of all categories of the railways have rendered yeoman services in transporting millions of passengers and thousands of tons of freight from Gujarat to Assam and from Kashmir to Kerala daily. The Indian Railways may be viewed as a brilliant mobile story narrating the development of India as a nation because the railways have been engaged in the noble job of uniting different people with diverse cultural background. These people hail from different parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Railway is a strategically important sector. Indian Railways are enormous in size and significantly ambitious with an indomitable desire to excel more and more. The ever-expanding railway lines appear as the veins of the splendid physique of India. Since the day of inception in 1853 the Indian Railways have overcome incessant incertitude and they still have miles to go and go obviously.
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In such a situation life in railways is definitely colorful. It cannot be anything else. You may notice the smiling faces of the children going to the learning centers. Their parents then see them off. These people breathe with great hope for the days of prosperity to come. You will notice that these parents, in other words employees and workers of the railways or their home-maker spouses, are disturbed tremendously owing to the spiraling market price. The private schools, which have been considered better for some specific reason and for no reason at all, have already enhanced monthly tuition fees exorbitantly. The Pongal or Durga Puja, the people fear, will surely be the bitterest this year.
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They do not allow some desires to sprout in the mind and some others they essay to nip in the bud and a few little desires still do not leave them and those seem determined to push forward. The railway people patiently listen to the news in the electronic media with an expectation that one more installment of the Dearness Allowances will be declared as ready for the payment or there will be any news on the payment for the standing dues of the last Pay Commission. Yes, they are sometimes haunted by a thought of a little more earning.
All of the employees or workers could not be allotted railway quarters. Some of them have their own houses far and near and some dwell in the rented ones. The workshop starts first and gradually the offices of the open lines open. The services rendered by the workers and the employees are really satisfactory and also good or as demanded time to time. Exceptions, if any, are however accommodated. The environment in the working places is congenial and warm. The higher authority of the railway administration has already taken a policy of tearless downsizing. There is noticeable shortage of staff in different departments. At times the employees do not feel happy. But they have learned to laugh and learned to stand like a solid rock to face the challenges. They organize feasts and annual picnic and if possible annual sports.. They value family programs and all of them participate on various occasions happily. They are obviously in good terms.
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They are aware of the future ahead. It is no more a whisper that the staff strength will be reduced at a greater scale. It is no more a whisper that some sections or departments of the railways will be privatized and that in case of privatization some of the employees will obviously be retrenched. It is no more a whisper that the age-old Printing Press of the S.E.Railway has been resolved to be wound up. The departments that possess very good infrastructure have the chance to get privatized first.
Hence a dark cloud is hanging over the life of the people working in the railways. Still the railway staff will have to welcome the life as it will be. Who knows, if, in an unfriendly and hostile environment, there will still remain those heavenly curves in their lips and eyes which we call smile.
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