A day after being appointed as the new Chairman of the Railway Board, Arunendra Kumar on Thursday said key posts lying vacant in the top body would be filled up on a ‘fast track’ mode. Kumar was appointed full time chairman on Wednesday, after holding the additional charge of the post for three months.
The posts of Financial Commissioner (FC), Member Staff (MS) and Member Mechanical (MM) of the Railway Board are lying vacant. The appointment of FC will be done in two to three days and Member Mechanical post will also be filled up shortly, Kumar, who is also holding the additional charge of MM, said. According to railway sources, another officer will be appointed as new Member (Staff) on the ad hoc basis.
Asked about the appointments of General Managers, he said it is expected to be done before Diwali. While nine General Managers’ posts are awaiting posting, about 25 Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) are waiting to be replaced.
Senior appointments in railways are in the focus after the arrest of Member (Staff) Mahesh Kumar by CBI in May for allegedly trying to become Member (Electrical), perceived to be a lucrative post, through bribe.
Kumar was suspended after the arrest and the post of Member (Staff) is lying vacant since then. He was released from jail on a bail recently. On revoking suspension of Kumar, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to constitute a three-member committee to examine the issue after taking clearance from the CBI.