In a move to reorganise and optimise the available human resources, new Chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani lohani on Sunday cracked the whip on officers, who have deployed gangmen, trackmen and other lower level staff in their bungalows to do their household chores.
lohani has asked the officers, even up to the rank of Railway Board Members, General Managers and Divisional Managers, to ‘relieve’ the gangmen and lower-level staff from their personal duties and make them available for the use of the general public and the Indian Railways.
The move comes following information that half of the lower rung railway personnel were engaged at the place of residence of the officers at the cost of the ground works. lohani is also likely to convene a conference of gangmen, keymen and similar staff to comprehend their side of problems and need.
“Two of the three gangmen required to monitor the tracks of a particular stretch are employed in the bungalows of the officers. This culture needs to end since ground work is being hampered. The workforce remains the same while rapid expansion of rail network continues under given infrastructure which has not grown the way it should have been. Railways drives on human faith and for that we need more human staff on grounds then only even technology can be used systematically,” said a senior railway official when asked about this decision.
Gangmen are crucial for railway track maintenance and running of trains. Trackmen used to be known as Gangmen till the Railway Union changed it because of the negative connotations attached to the word ‘gang’. An average 200 Railway men get killed in accidents every year during their patrolling exercises. They have a 12-hour shift and are burdened with 20-kg weight of the tools. However, hundreds of them are attached to the serving Railways officers to do their household chores and are at the mercy of officers and their family members. There was a reports of a gangman being roughed up by the wife of a former CRB.
Earlier in the day, lohani also interacted with Delhi Division’s young officers who have put in less than eight years of service in the organisation. The young officers complained to the new CRB that they work under tremendous pressure without adequate infrastructure and man power. Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi Division, Anshul Gupta was also present on the occasion.
In his address, lohani said that a deep introspection is needed to find the maladies and the shortcomings that plague the system. “We must look for long term solutions and not mere quick fixes. Since you (low rung personnel) are the ones working at the ground level, perceptible changes should come from them,” lohani said adding that a motivated and zealous human force is the driver of any organisation.
Inspiring the young brains the CRB advised that foremost they should have pride and passion for their work. “The officers should lead from front, setting examples for others to follow. To the mid-level officers in the rank of Directors, lohani instructed them to specially look into the staff welfare matters and to be perceptible and humane towards their needs.