NEW DELHI, March 4 -- Writing about any government organisation today must be based on official handouts, published news, anecdotal evidence and putting two and two together because the present regime is obsessive about concealing everything that shows it in poor light. On Indian Railways (IR), the pall of fear is so palpable that no serving official is prepared to divulge the unvarnished truth of what's happening. Quite clearly, there is much to hide. So, it is only appropriate to state at the outset that my diagnosis of the state of IR may be touching only the tip of the iceberg. But what's revealed here is cause enough for worry.

Indian Railways (IR), the country's largest industrial undertaking, is grappling with a dangerous "Modifie...