Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Technology, my friend & Indian Rail

Technology : the application of scientific advances to benefit humanity [Ref: fi.edu/franklin/glossary.html]

My Friend : A very dear friend of mine, let's call him WXY. He is an engineer and works in the much touted IT/ITES sector.

Indian Rail : Indian Railways has a total state monopoly on India's rail transport. It is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world. Almost 85 per cent of the railways available today were laid before independence.

So, how do they all come together?

Well, WXY had a real bad day - due to a mishap to his family member and wanted to leave for his hometown at the very moment. He was looking for a TATKAL ticket to go to his hometown.

The Indian Rail website, provides facility to book tickets online. But our dear Indian Rail, takes care that the person booking the ticket, is not devoid of the queue experience that he has to face when booking at the railway station booking counters.

So, a person working in the latest of technologies at an international firm, was at the receiving end of the online queue experience and could not get a ticket. Fate cannot be transgressed. So, what was it?

Fate? Technology at its best? Indian Rail at its best?

As I write about the Indian Rail website experience here, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the railway minister has just presented a Railway budget for this financial year. Link:  MoneyControl : Railway Budget : 26-02-2008.

Of the 25000 crore surplus the Indian Railway has, I appeal to atleast spend 2% of it, on upgrading the IT infrastructure and especially the www.irctc.co.in website!

 

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