more-in Developing a web-enabled real time project management software to monitor projects to integrate online clearance of drawings/plans, real time image monitoring system and images captured by drones along with more financial and administrative powers to General Managers are among the measures Indian Railways is taking for a complete overhaul of its working style. The ‘paradigm shift’ in the functioning is intended to introduce a new phase of workmanship with a revamped management manual, drastically altering the manner in which railway projects are planned, designed, estimates prepared and works are implemented at a quicker pace. General Managers (GMs) of railway zones have been given blanket permissions to take up any work of upto ?60 crore as against ?2.5 crore earlier which could be taken up only after the Railway Board (RB) cleared the proposal and it found a mention in the ‘Pink Book’ - which indicates the works to be taken up for the year. All those steps hitherto were taking up a lot of time for project conceptualisation, clearance and actual grounding. Now, it has been decided not to clear any work — new lines, doubling, electrification or anything else without completing the Detailed Project Report (DPRs) together with precise estimates. “The norm earlier was to conduct a preliminary survey, prepare a rough estimate, seek RB’s approval, then go for DPR with drawings, estimates and call for tenders which led to cost and time over runs ,” explains South Central Railway (SCR) GM Vinod Kumar Yadav. He, along with fellow GMs, was tasked by Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani to suggest the way forward in railways functioning. Their recommendations got approval of Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and the process is set to be implemented immediately. Expectation now is that the timeline from project plan to work mode can be brought down to a few months from two years to 10 or even more as was happening. “Railways have a large shelf of stalled projects without any definite plan for completion,” points out Mr. Yadav. GMs have been given the leeway on deciding traffic blocks of up to three hours — time required for allowing traffic maintenance and this has been made mandatory for every section. “Our Minister has already made clear that the priority is safety, so track maintenance and renewal take precedence over new lines along with capacity building of doubling, tripling, quadrapling as also electrification on high density routes,” says the senior railway official. In fact, SCR will be among the first zones to go for total mechanised electrification with the help of an imported machine, which will shorten the traffic block time required by half. Zonal Managers are also free to decide on any change in materials of up to 50%, can create 50% posts for any new project without having to surrender any as was the rule, plus more powers to handle land acquisition and utilities shift.

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