Ever since the great lalooji took over as rm, indian railways has started making the best of business schools turn their snobby attention to this desi messiah turning the perennial loss maker into one of grand success storiesl. Mind you, lalooji has not increased one paise fare (fair!!). If you still are wondering how an aging sarkari dept can make so much profit without creating a hole in the pockets of paying public, travel in an ordinary express train for a night jounry and u will notice the tweeks wrought by the savvy laloo. Subtly hidden are the increased reservation costs which never find a mention even bhy the e ver vigilant fourth estate. Suddently you find that the atrocities caled side berths have shrunk even in their height. Lo and behold lalooji has tweaked in 3 side berths in place of two. Experience the heavenly experience if by my curse you get alloted one. You may wonder where is this third berth this joker is speaking about. Carefully watch the space below the upper side berth and u find a half berth contorted and rolled just under. This contraption when fully laid will make the occkupant and the person below ( heaven forbid if they are slightly endowed with good body flab) endure the hellish experience called sleep for their journey duration. Mind you You can't even turn your sides without upsetting the top occupant. Agreed, you are less than 60 kgs, 5 feet or less and so no issues even then to get down you have to wait till the top occupant miraculously slides using his own propelling power or if he has a friendly assist to pull him to the saner safety of outside.
This contraption must have earned the IRs a cool 1 in 8 revenue without spending a pai more than the cost of the contraption called third side berth. And the nation is richer by at least 9X2 persons afflicted with ailments of all kinds becuse of this contortions.
Hows that for the passenger safety and comfort from our very own lalooji? Share with me if you have experenced anything like this before.
1 comment:
Its not so long, probably 3 months back, myself and my mother were traveling from Shimoga to Bangalore (Tr.No. 6228). Fortunately, both of us were given lower birth (categorically mentioned in the ticket) and I asked my mother to sleep. Meanwhile, I stared at the numbers given on those aluminum plates and something written next to it. Since, a new berth (indeed its a new birth) is squeezed in between side upper and side lower, entire numbering has changed, but no one bothered to change the plates, instead marked with red marker pen. There was a great debate rather heated exchange that took place for the same reason. I tried my level best to convey that numbers to follow are the ones written in pen and not the plates, but the gentleman started telling me that 'I am misleading people'. I kept quite, as a 'fellow-suffer' and the matter got resolved only after the TTE came. Although the co-commuter felt the guilt, but his ego did not allow him to accept my words, instead he started blaming the IR and their way of writing the numbers.
I think here to IR saved money, which got into their profit charts!!!
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