Issue No.588
Opinion
Previous issue
Site map
|
|
30 May - 5 June 2002 Issue No.588 Opinion |
Current issue Previous issue Site map | |
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Remedying neglect
The government annually announces increases in the funding allocations for basic services, including health, education and transport. But a report released this week by a parliamentary fact-finding committee on the state of the railway system following the Ayat train disaster three months ago seems to indicate such pledges serve mostly to assuage public opinion.
The report "deplored" the fact that the improvement programmes promised, especially for trains used by low-income passengers, "have not been implemented in time", that the problems the railways face are "a result of years of neglect", and that the government appears "woefully ignorant of the need to reform the rail network".
The report confirmed the miserable condition of third class trains. Because of infrequent services carriages designed for no more than 100 people routinely carry 400 passengers -- as was the case with the Ayat train -- many of whom wait for hours in the maintenance workshops to ensure that they will find a place on the train. When such levels of overcrowding are a permanent feature of third class services talking about safety measures such as the availability of fire extinguishers, emergency breaks or an alarm system to inform the driver of what is happening in rear carriages becomes a redundant exercise.
The trial that is currently taking place of the 11 railway officials whom the authorities have accused of negligence leading up to the Ayat train disaster may or may not result in convictions. But whatever happens in terms of the allocation of individual responsibility, the majority of the public will continue to feel that the problem is much larger than a few officials neglecting their duties.
The general condition of services provided for the poor has been in decline for years. Since Egypt embarked on the economic reform programme in 1991, the government has succeeded in building the modern infrastructure needed to attract investments. Now, surely, it is time to focus more clearly on the services essential to the well-being of the poorest members of society, on health, education and transport.
|
 |
| |||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
