Opinion: Travelling with cockroaches in Indian Railways

Recently I was travelling to Varanasi with my mother, brother, brother's wife, nephew and lots of cockroaches. I did not invite them; they were provided by the Indian railways to accompany me so that the journey doesn't turn out to be boring. I mean, of course, you definitely need friends and family and pets to enjoy your journey.

Cockroaches as pets, that is a revolutionary idea. The vicious thought of killing them will be gone.

Indian Railways is also fond of rats. It is the single largest settlement for rats around the world. Not only rats, bedbugs and termites are favourites too. You will find them inside the berths. Don't forget to say "Hi" on your next visit. There are many unidentified living organisms are there. Next time, I will carry an insect encyclopedia whenever I am travelling again.

Indian Railways appears to be more "animal-friendly" than human-friendly.

Maybe, the Indian Railways have a soft corner for insects and animals, but I definitely loathe the idea of travelling with cockroaches and bedbugs. As a passenger, I had the worst time travelling in "Sramjivi Express".

With a network of 65000 km, India stands at rank 4 when it comes to world's longest railway networks. But it severely lacks in terms quality of facilities.

The condition of toilets is miserable. Toilets were introduced in 1909 in Indian railways. Even after 100 years, there is no such development that would make India stand out among other countries.

The security system is very poor. Theft and loot are happing on a daily basis. Even if you are travelling in A/C coaches or reserved coaches, there will be free mobility of people inside the coach, during the day and night as well. You will find random people sleeping on the floor inside the reserved coaches.

The worst part is to climb at upper berth, not for me, but for my mother or for someone with joints problem. Senior citizen and pregnant ladies struggle to climb and settle at the upper berth. And being there at upper and middle berth you end up asking redundant questions like, "which station is this?" There is an urgent need for digital display inside all the coaches. That will help the commuters to know "which station is this" even at 3 AM.

Another incident happened in my recent journey that raised the level of my frustration and that was the coach position. At the platform, we were waiting where coach B1 was displayed. When the train arrived the coach was positioned exactly opposite. It was so difficult to run to another end with a 60-year-old woman, a year old baby and 3 heavy bags. Most of the time the coach name and number are not displayed on the digital screens, which trouble the passengers.

The infrastructure as a whole is so inappropriate for specially abled and people with special needs. Ramps and over bridges are overcrowded. Lifts do not function most of the time.

Indian Railways is in terrible condition. From getting the reservation done to boarding the train, there are many flaws that have to be rectified immediately. Most of the trains are running late, few getting cancelled on the everyday basis. Improper sockets, a lesser number of fans, inadequate water supply, broken water taps and many other drawbacks have to be taken care by Indian Railways as soon as possible.

India campaigns to be a hygiene conscious country but on the other hand, it discharges the excreta on the track. I am not comparing it with other developed and developing countries, but when Indian government is claiming that it will introduce bullet trains, then the question arises whether it is relevant to get along with the idea of introducing bullet trains before revamping the existing condition of Indian Railways?

Dear Indian Railways, "Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted", doesn't pacify the pain you give on an everyday basis.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).