Rebirth of India: Superior

In the past two days, while Shakru was busy discussing Priyanka's special interview with Zee TV, suddenly an old friend who he hadn't seen for several years found him. This person was none other than the person he went to the Assam countryside in the first few years. Mr. Sanyi who entertained him when he was experiencing life.

Seeing Sanyi who had not seen him for a long time, Shaklu was very excited and greeted him warmly: "Mr. Sanyi, it's been a long time since I saw you. When did you come? Why didn't you tell me in advance so that I could pick him up at the airport?" You, no matter why you came to New Delhi this time, you must stay a few more days and let me entertain you well. "

Shakru's words are definitely sincere, because he will never forget the reception he received when he went to Sanyi's house. After all, he will never enjoy such humane "transportation" and transportation in other places. Toilet treatment, so this time he is the landlord, so he must repay him well.

Sanyi was also very happy to see that Shakru still missed the old friendship so much, but he quickly got down to business: "Mr. Pandit, I actually came to New Delhi this time to trouble you with something."

"Mr. Sanyi, what you said is too polite. There is no need to say whether it is troublesome or not between us. As long as I can help, I am absolutely obligated." Shakru said, patting his chest.

"Do you still remember the train you took when you came to our place?" Sanyi suddenly asked about an unrelated matter.

Shakru nodded and said: "Of course I remember, it is probably difficult to see that kind of antique train in a second place."

The train they were talking about was the Himalayan Railway, which was completed and opened to traffic in 1881. It is also one of the earliest railways in India. The total length of 86 kilometers of track connects Darjeeling and New Jalpaiguri, with an altitude span from 100 meters to 2,200 meters. . This 4-car steam train, which delighted the locals at the time, has been transporting large quantities of tea down the mountain for more than 100 years, and then transported it to all parts of the world through the ports of Bangladesh.

In 1999, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was included in the World Cultural Heritage List. Today, the steam locomotive, nicknamed the "toytrains", still roars forward on the 61 cm rail. Another important function of it is to provide tourists with a glimpse of the symbol of industrialization in the British Indian era.

Sanyi sighed, and then said: "Hey, this antique car can hardly be driven now."

"Why? What went wrong?" Shakru asked curiously.

Sanyi explained: "There are many problems, and the main problem is that it is too old. The steam train that has been running for more than a hundred years and should have appeared in the museum should have been eliminated long ago, and those who will maintain the steam train The technicians have retired or passed away, and no one knows how to use and repair many of the old machines and tools inside the train. Now, the old trains have no daily maintenance at all, and they are only repaired urgently when problems arise. One day in the future, once the key is zero, Components fall into disrepair and the mileage of old trains will eventually come to an end.”

"Then since it's already like this, why doesn't the government replace him?" Shakru asked.

Sanyi spread his hands and said: "Who knows, maybe the government has forgotten this highway, and you don't know what the Indian government is like, how can they have the money to do such a big project to rebuild the railway? "

After thinking about the Indian government's usual waffling administrative style, Shakru felt that what Sanyi said made sense, but he still didn't understand something, so he asked: "Mr. Sanyi, I don't understand something about this train. This matter should be under the control of the government, why do you seem so worried about this matter? "

"Because if this railway is not completed, my black tea will not be shipped out!" Sanyi said depressedly.

After Sanyi explained, Shakru realized that Northeastern India, located at the southern foot of the Himalayas, is famous for its black tea production. The mountainous area with an average altitude of 2,000 meters is dotted with tea gardens. The foggy climate in the highlands gives the black tea here the aroma and charm, which is globally recognized. People who love tea flock to it. The most expensive tea is priced at US$400/kg, and the prices of the rest are around US$60-100/kg. It has even been sold for a high price of US$2,000/kg, making it one of the most expensive teas in India. However, the lack of efficient local logistics and infrastructure has become a fatal link for black tea sales.

"Mr. Sanyi, then you came to New Delhi this time to find someone to run the railway?" Shakru asked tentatively.

Sanyi nodded and said, "Yes, if I don't invest in (railway), my tea garden will have to close down. But once there is investment, tourism will be boosted and the entire region's economy will benefit."

Shakru understands Mr. Sanyi's concerns very well. The railway issue is related to his life and death. No wonder he would go all the way to New Delhi to operate it. But the problem is that the investment required for this project is too large, which is really difficult. .

Seeing Shakru's embarrassed look, Sanyi continued: "Actually, we can also invest in building this railway ourselves, but the government does not allow it."

"Why is this? If the government doesn't pay for it, why don't you guys be allowed to pay for it yourself?" This time Shakru was completely confused.

"Because this involves the privatization of railways. Once this loophole is opened because of our incident, there will definitely be people who will use this as an excuse to apply for other sections of the railway. That would be tantamount to going against all those who rely on the railway for their livelihood, so no one dares to agree or take this risk." Mr. Sanyi explained.

Shakru quite agrees with this explanation. Given India's national conditions, as long as a loophole is opened on the railway, there will definitely be people who will jump on this big piece of fat meat and contract the most popular sections. Not to mention the faraway ones, the Gandhi family, who he has the most contact with, will definitely not miss this opportunity.

But if this is the case, the black tea crisis will be completely unsolvable. The government is unwilling to invest and does not allow private capital to invest on its own. Isn't this going to force these tea garden owners and other people engaged in tea garden-related work to death?

At this time, Sanyi said pitifully: "Mr. Pandit, I heard from Ashfaq that you know many important people now. Please help us think of a solution. As long as this matter can be resolved, we can spend any amount of money."

"Okay, wait for me for a few days, I will go to find out about this matter for you, don't worry, there must be a solution." Although he comforted Sanyi in this way, Shakru knew in his heart that this matter was very difficult to resolve.

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