Railway reforms leave several crucial issues unaddressed: Train controllers

New Delhi: Days after the Ministry of Railways introduced crucial reforms to enhance the working conditions of the train control department and bring it at par with world-class standards, a section of controllers have expressed disappointment for "leaving several important issues unaddressed".

On June 25, the ministry announced a slew of reforms for the train control department, prominent among them being the filling up of 60 per cent of posts through direct recruitment and 40 per cent from other railway departments.

Besides, the ministry also introduced three-year fixed tenure, better selection criteria, regular performance analysis and several other welfare measures for controllers.

However, a section among them felt dissatisfied.

"The ministry hasn't given any thought on issues like enhancement of stress allowance and night duty allowance which were very much among important agendas," Servjeet Singh, general secretary of Indian Railway Employees Federation (IREF), said, reflecting the sentiments of the controllers.

"It was earlier decided to enhance the stress allowance from the existing Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 per month. So far as we know that the railway minister had also approved it but due to lack of persuasion and coordination from the officials from the Railway Board, the finance ministry refused it.

Since then, no effort has been made to revive the issue," Singh added.

He added, "Night duty allowance must be implemented for senior controllers who suffered various stress and job-related critical health issues in grade pay level eight and nine. I believe the Department of Personnel & Training lacks the understanding of round-the-clock working of train movements and that's why they imposed a ceiling on night duty allowance, leaving senior controllers out of its ambit."

A senior train controller also opposed one of the reforms which allow Grade Pay Level Two employees to get promoted to Grade Pay Level Six through internal departmental examination process.

"Earlier, only Grade Pay Level Five employees from other departments used to get promoted to level six and become train controllers. By allowing Grade Pay Level Two employees to become controllers, the railway ministry has diluted the gravity of the position which involves various operational challenges in view of upcoming high-speed traffic movement and asset utilisation," the controller said, requesting anonymity.

Controllers are also upset as under the reforms, 50 per cent vacancy at Grade Pay Level Seven in the control department will be filled by candidates from other feeder cadres through departmental promotional examinations.

"This will hamper the promotion opportunities for many controllers who are working at Grade Pay Level Six and who has better knowledge, experience and understanding of control operations as compared to the candidate who will come from other feeder cadres," Another controller said demanding a revision in some of the reforms.

Singh said that overall, the core issues are still unresolved and it will have an adverse impact on efficient traffic control by compromising working output in the long term.

"I appeal to the Railway Board to reconsider the points and concerns raised by IREF on behalf of control cader and other controllers in the larger interest of better productivity, output of control organisation of Indian Railways which is considered the nerve centre of rail operations," Singh added.