The Great Indian Railway Traffic Sircus!
In good old days, #RailwayBoard had an aura of #credibility that commanded respect. The #Board met every week and matters were deliberated. When a #Member got upset, other Members cajoled him and arrived at consensus. This was a group of mature adults with ‘greyed in sun’ head and grey matter which was par excellence. They could boldly disagree with Ministers and put in papers when overlooked or superseded. This kept #Morale of #Railway-Services high and Railway Board carried an aura of moral uprightness.
Entry to the Board Room when meeting was in session was restricted. When a Member was unavailable, his work was looked after by another Member, no less. In this Board vested what we understand as ‘Railway Board’.
After introduction of concept of #CEO, Railway Board’s Members are no better than coordinating #PEDs of their department (as #AMs continue to be largely decorative positions). Institution of Railway Board was further weakened by allowing AMs to officiate as Board Members. This demeaned the very concept of Railway Board as Apex Body.
Damaged and Weakened Board gets Further Battered
Forcing Rahul Jain, the #MTRS to proceed on leave (and gloating about it as an achievement) and allowing him to join just few days before his retirement, unprecedented #extension granted to Naresh Salecha, unprecedented running office of the CRB by officers on contract made even the office of the CRB look like that of a contractor’s.
Self appointment given by MOBDs to position of financial benefit has stripped even the fraying thin veneer left from the office of MOBD. People trusted this office for all that was #commercial in nature, but these three Members show that they were ready to compromise on ethics. Height was when by clever set of manipulations not only #SeemaKumar, ex-MOBD, but also her #husband was given employment in a #PSU.
There was no #Chairman or #Minister to ask how can one give oneself appointment to position of pecuniary benefit? The limit of one’s power is clear – “one cannot take decision of which they themselves are sole beneficiary”.
After rolling back decision for #UnifiedService, getting an #IRTS officer as #MOBD would have been sensible decision. The damage inflicted has to be contained. However, it was learnt that an #IRSSE officer’s name was sent to become MOBD, while a career IRTS officer in Level-17 sits in the #RailBhawan. It is learnt that the file was returned. It is also clear to #DoPT that once #Service unification has failed, effort has to be made to keep Railway Board functional and credible till situation stabilises.
Manipulations Continue
H. S. Verma was first stopped from becoming Additional Member (#AM) and overlooked for #empanelment in Level-16 of #IRMS, following deteriorating #Safety of #IndianRailways, he was finally empanelled in IRMS Level-17.
Question is when Level-17 IRMS from IRTS available (#HSVerma), why a Level-16 officer given additional charge of MOBD? Why additional charge of Member of Railway Board not given to Level-17 officer as done in past when only Board Members looked after additional role of other board members? What is this manipulation? PMO must intervene before these manipulators inflict more damage to the organisation.
Farce called IRMS Empanelment for Level-16 & Level-17
Farcical batch wise #empanelment in to IRMS needs to be done away with urgently. This is biased against #CivilServices officers. Also, this has led to ludicrous situation of promoting officers for hours and months. This has affected the #administrative-spine of this largest of departments of Government of India.
Today for #DRMship while #IRSME of 1993 batch wait, #IRTS is likely to post DRMs from their 1997 batch-a gap of full 4 years. Parasitic #IRPS service has already posted its 1995 to 1997 officers as #PHODs! This has badly demoralised other HODs and PHODs. It is not that Civil Service officers did not join young in past.
Earlier the average age of #CSE and #ESE recriuits was largely similar, except of course of #SCRA who came after class XII. It was only when CSE officers are allowed to join and give further attempts to ‘improve’ their service, that average age of officers climbed up. That HS Verma is from 1987 batch is testimony to this.
If #engineers joined early, why should that be held out against them? Those engineers who take multiple attempts at CSE also come at more mature age vis a vis engineers who join straight.
It is better that status-quo-ante be restored.
Broken Administrative Spine of IR
Administrative spine has been broken by long spells of contractual CRBs & a member and also by allowing AMs to look after vacant board member’s chair when other board members are available.
See 28.08.24: “पार्ट-टाइम मंत्री, ठेके पर चेयरमैन !”
Level-16 looking after Level-17 position when Level-17 officer is available even militates against the ludicrous scheme of empanelment in IRMS. Question is why #MukulSaranMathur was given #AMship when #HariShankarVerma was senior and had more experience. Plan of keeping Verma away from board was executed by the three MOBDs whose ethical conduct has proven to be tainted. This #lobby is still active. Renegade #traffic officers are forgetting how certain traffic officer even created justification that Member Traffic (#MT) was not needed as he was chairman.
That is why we wrote, “RIP, #IRTS. You are no longer the #motive-power of #Railways, you are now the dead weight which is pulling down entire organisation – your three Members have been yet another nail on your coffin. You just lost moral right to exist as you are now indistinguishable from other #parasitic-services” in – “Why IRTS’ Current Leadership is a National Shame?”