Okay, so the dedicated railway freight corridor that had excited everyone is still far away, with the money still missing, and there?s just too much stuff trundling along India?s overburdened rails and overused roads (such are the joys of near double-digit growth: network clogs). But is the rail freight infrastructure so bad that even Rail Bhavan is afraid to use it? Eavesdropper was on the premises of a major supplier of machinery to the Indian Railways, and found everyone enjoying a nice round of laughter. The railway ministry, went the word, does not trust its own administration in keeping freight items safe in transit. Which is why it has issued standing instructions to all suppliers that any supplies sent to the Railways must be sent via road?loaded onto ol? faithful trucks. It?s inside information: using rail transport means risking the sort of damage Rail Bhavan cannot afford.
Insider tag
True dedication to a security job requires determination, grit and discipline. And it shows on those trained precisely along these lines. Ask the men in uniform. At a recent visit to a government ministry, a policeman authoritatively stopped Eavesdropper, demanding to know where one was going. Suitably stunned, Eavesdropper could only manage a humble, ?Inside??to be promptly let in. Has the security apparatus at government offices been given refresher courses in politeness? Or is ?inside? a secret password that only a trusted few are supposed to know? Either way, Eavesdropper was suitably impressed.