Railways works in 'silos', need to break them: Niti Aayog's Bibek Debroy

NEW DELHI: Describing decentralisation of power in loss-making Railways as the "biggest necessity", Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy today said Indian Railways works in " silos" which needed to be broken.

Debroy, who submitted an ambitious report to revamp the Indian Railways, said the recommendations were based on five "building blocks" including entry of private players, decentralisation, breaking down of silos in which the Railways works, transition into commercial accounting and creation of an independent regulator for the PSU behemoth.

Noting that role of private sector was already part of the government policy, he said the panel has only endorsed it and was not a new recommendation.

Pitching for greater decentralisation in the system, Debroy told PTI, "The level of devolution of power today is only partial. Therefore, we have recommended for greater decentralisation."

"The Indian Railways works in silos and there was a need to break them" for greater synergy in its operations, he said.

Seeking to provide the private sector a level-playing field, the report has recommended setting up of a Railway Regulatory Authority of India -- a statutory, quasi-judicial, independent body with a separate budget.

The regulator will be mandated to fix freight rates, resolve disputes and set technical standards.

Debroy said he is satisfied with the outcome and hoped that the final report will have "far greater acceptability".

Noting that the interim report submitted in March may have some errors, he said the final report also considered feedback received from various quarters, including the stakeholders.