The रायता ! Part-III

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Thinking of the railways’ deep-state

On 21 August, 2025, #RailwayBoard issued a mysterious order. It sought to transfer a #HAG and one #SAG element of #Electrical cadre between East Central Railway (#ECR) and Integral Coach Factory (#ICF). This is something which is considered routine and straight forward. Except for two serious issues which are subject matter of this article:

#Ep116: #IRMS का पुछल्ला—ऊँट किस करवट बैठेगा, किसी को पता नहीं!

Issue No. 1:

To contain #confusion over Office Order No. 58/2016 a letter was issued by Railway Board on 25 July, 2025 and that led to our now well circulated article, dated July 27, 2025, “The रायता !” which brought out how office order of 2016 was still causing confusion in 2025 necessitating further clarifications.

In our second part of the article dated August 15, 2025: “The रायता ! : Part-II” we discussed a note by Additional Member Traction signed on 31 July, 2025 which strongly contested letter of 25 July, 2025 without questioning decision contained in O/O 58 of 2016 which led to withdrawal of this letter on 14 August, 2025. This withdrawal of letter of 25 July, 2025 was subject matter of “The रायता !”, on 14 August, 2025.

Following is the chronology:

  • 03 August, 2016: Secretary, Railway Board vide 2016/O&M/8/1 redistributes #EMU platform and #Diesel Locomotives between #Mechanical and #Electrical departments.
  • 25 July, 2025: Joint Secretary, Railway Board vide 2025/O&M/8/2 clarifies operational details of implementation of O/O No. 58/2016.
  • 27 July, 2025: Publication of “The रायता !”
  • 31 July, 2025: Additional Member/Traction writes detailed note disputing JS/RB’s letter of 25 July and calls it out as lacking transparency and against spirit of O/O No. 58/2016. This further called for withdrawal of letter issued on 25 July.
  • 14 August, 2025: JS/Railway Board vide 2025/O&M/8/2 withdraws his earlier letter issued on 25 July.
  • 15 August, 2025: Publication of “The रायता ! : Part-II”
  • 21 August, 2025: Dy Director, Estt(GC) issues orders for transferring ICF’s HAG element of electrical to ECR and effectively substituting it with a SAG element from ECR.

Now, the Railway Board order dated 21st August, 2025 takes away HAG Electrical element from ICF—the production unit of #IndianRailways entrusted with manufacture of Vande Bharats. Hereafter it makes a mechanical officer by design, always senior most technical #PHOD in ICF. It is said the ground is being laid for a mega tender for locals (#EMUs) which is likely to come for #Mumbai Suburban. A key officer earlier at #RDSO has been taken in an advisory role in Mumbai after retirement to firm up #specifications towards this larger game plan.

The Railway Board order dated 21st August, 2025 takes away HAG Electrical element from ICF

Role of then Principal Chief Electrical Engineer (#PCEE) of ICF has been well acknowledged by Sudhanshu Mani in making the #Train18 which came to be known as #VandeBharat. So it is not clear why role of the officer who will be in charge of #traction package is sought to be downgraded, whereas the Vande Bharat tenders by ICF have been historically of traction package. But this gets explained if one reads a message posted by a senior officer on internal #IRSME senior officers’ #WhatsApp group on 31.12.2018 as a parting message on eve of his retirement:

“I rejoined this group only to send a parting message in the interest of the dept as also IR and quit… shoot and scoot, if you like… bouquets and perhaps more brickbats welcome but won’t be there to receive them.. remember, churi pehan kar baithne or chamchagiri se kuchh nahin milta.. so long! Those who wish to keep in touch, nevertheless, welcome from 2nd Jan onwards +91 95914 xxxxx

Our Department has always been let down by weak, egoistical and inward looking leadership. It is not only the department, but the aspirations of young officers also take a beating, often turning them into cynics and “safe players”

Recent incidents or “misses” are an example:

  1. We have not grabbed EMUs/MEMUs and Trainsets in the open line even though these were given to us on a platter by a “neutral” CRB. Electrical has made inroads into Diesel Sheds with electric locos and officers. We have failed to match it in EMU and MEMU sheds.
  2. Several appeals to RDSO and Board to designate underslung MEMUs and EMUs as trainsets and assign them to the Trainset Directorate in RDSO and EDME/Chg in Board has fallen on deaf ears.
  3. Underslung MEMUs and EMUs have bogies and propulsion common with Train 18. They are capable of 130kmph without any extra effort. They are a new genre and are begging for assignment to Mechanical department but even these would remain with our friends.
  4. Given the production plan of MEMUs, it appears that they will replace medium distance and branch line trains in a sweeping measure. With 130 km/h capability, even express trains Yet, we have no plans to run them in useful configurations of 12/16 coaches with AC and 1st Class coaches. They should have been touted as Regional trainsets and grabbed.
  5. Even as we boasted that everything self-propelled belonged to us, we have failed to counter a single ED Electrical (G) in the Board. Even what was given to us, the self-propelled trains with toilets, has been surrendered at his behest.
  6. Even the creation of Trainset Directorate in RDSO was a bonanza from the CRB with pro-active action by Vikas, not tge dept as such; we had no role in it. Yet, we have failed to convert it into the final authority on Trainsets.
  7. The MTR and his team have stalled us on Train 18 and we are still fumbling rather than giving it back to them. I am told that the CRB was ready to overrule him if a file was put up to him. But, we have failed to encash that support. Let it be known that Train 18 became a reality because of sanction obtained from ex CRB, Mech. Dept. of Board only wanted to sabotage it.
  8. We gave up without a whimper in DLW, yet the retaliatory action in ICF has come in for criticism from our own. The acting PCME/DLW has been sacrificed. What signal do our young officers get due to this retreat.
  9. Train 20 was another great opportunity squandered. We could have already been well on the way to building it by 2020, if egos and misplaced sense of propriety hadn’t blinded us.

(B)…CCRS has raised some serious observations reg T18’s electrical safety, a statutory need to be certified by MoR. Suspicions arose because certain systems bypassed at behest of Sri Lohani. They expected that statutory clearance wud be granted even without looking at drawings.”

This shows thinking of the railways’ deep-state. When we took opinion of several senior officers who have been in service in past 5-10 years, role of a particular #vendor has been unanimously highlighted. This message also explains a question which #Traffic officers breathlessly ask—why there is only a trickle of MEMUs, despite billions of rupees being spent on new rolling stock? Is this why post-retirement sinecures and extensions get granted?

How we were proved right—but many officers suffered

This transfer of PHOD element from ICF on 21st August is towards the goal laid by this officer whose WhatsApp message is reproduced above.

Issue No. 2:

IRMS (Electrical) does not exist at the level of HAG and SAG. These are still Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineering (#IRSEE) officers and their cadre’s name has not yet been changed as seen from the recent orders of DRMs, a post which was expected to come under IRMS. New recruits by #UPSC are in IRMS(xyz), where xyz can be Traffic, Personnel, Accounts, Electrical, Mechanical, Engineering, S&T, Stores.

Also, new promotions from within will be in IRMS(xyz). In case Railway Board has taken internal decision on files on mapping of existing services with IRMS(xyz), then it is most unfortunately not yet shared with the serving officers who are currently the spine of IR. This shows how scared is #RailBhawan on sharing facts even on matters like name of the services through which UPSC had recruited officers!

Indeed efforts to contain “रायता” spill is unravelling.