The Bangladesh Railway (BR), apparently, is now in a buying frenzy. It has purchased a good number of locomotives, passenger coaches, wagons and DEMU trains from different sources with both hard and soft foreign loans. It intends to procure many more of the same products.
Lately, the BR is planning to procure 200 meter-gauge (MG) passenger coaches from China with the bidder's financing, which is naturally expensive. It has, reportedly, selected an Indonesian company to supply another 100 MG and 50 broad gauge (BG) coaches. Moreover, a move is on to procure 214 MG expensive stainless steel passenger coaches under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financing.
But why is the BR making all the shopping when the manpower, including loco masters, technicians, station masters available with it falls far short of the requirement?
One has reasons to get confused by the long list of BR's procurement when it has been closing down two to three railway stations every year and downsizing its operations.
However, procurement of goods and services is found to be the most alluring job in government offices. The government has made procurement act and rules. But that has not been able to deter the unscrupulous section of politicians and officials from amassing wealth through such procurement. If the procurement is under the suppliers' credit, the undue benefit is more than what comes through open bidding. So, there has to be enough of procurement to help these people to fatten their purses.
But what is most puzzling is that the BR does not have even half of the qualified manpower it needs to conduct its operations and fulfil its own part in the transportation need of the country.
During the pre-liberation days the BR had its manpower strength of 56,000. Despite its declining operations, the number of its officials and employees increased to more than 58,000. The government was compelled to take up a scheme to downsize the manpower with the financial help from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Nearly 10,000 officials and workers were sent to voluntary retirement under a 'golden handshake' programme over a few years.
Following the cut in manpower and the failure to make fresh recruitments in the face of allegation of corruption and irregularities in the hiring process, the number of officials and employees in the BR now stands at over 23,000. The railway has only half of the drivers it needs to operate its locomotive fleets. The crisis has become so acute that the BR has reportedly recruited 86 retired loco drivers on contractual basis. The BR has also shortage of assistant drivers and station masters.
The question is: what will the BR do with all the locomotives and passenger coaches it has been procuring at a huge cost if there is no sufficient manpower to run the railway?
When the unemployed people are ready to go to any extent to get jobs, there should not be any problem with recruitment of manpower by the BR. But the recruitment process was marred by corruption resorted to by a section of officials and their masters some years back. The 'railway gate' scandal in which the assistant private secretary of a former minister was caught red-handed with a huge cash money at the main entrance of the BGB headquarters is a stark reminder of corruption indulged in manpower recruitment by the BR.
The corruption has led to the filing of a number of cases by aggrieved persons with different courts against recruitment by the BR later. The High Court has stayed the recruitment process in some areas. So, even if the BR desires so, it cannot go for full-scale recruitment. The problem will continue until the legal process is completed.
Under the circumstances, the BR will continue to be handicapped by manpower shortage to expand its operation despite all its procurements. But the BR, which earns only half of the money it spends annually, will have to service its loans, both old and new and soft and hard.
The railways have in-built advantages over road transport for the carriage of containers and commodities in bulk. It is not just the cost. Businesses prefer the railways because of traffic gridlock on highways that delays transportation of goods. For the same reason, the people now prefer to travel by trains. But the BR is not capable of offering necessary service to them because of a number of constraints, including poor network, tracks, locomotives etc.
The BR does need a desirable transformation with substantial investment in improving its service at all levels. It needs competent manpower, locomotives and, most importantly, efficient operation.
The BR should have the objective of playing an important and dominant role in an integrated transport system. Its strength lies in people's longing for travel long distance by train and carry goods fastest at the lowest possible cost. If it can fulfil that desire of the people by ensuring safe and comfortable journeys and efficient transportation of goods, it would make a giant step forward.
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