Minister Sir, You Just Dealt Deathblow by Selectively Punishing Honest & Hard Working Officers
DRM is a key position which has kept railway running despite toxicity of transformation by Khan Market Gang
When entire track maintenance process is visible on the TMS, what did the PCE and CTE do? Both are Railway Board appointees!
And, what about the CRB, who is on a second extension, holds the position of Member Infrastructure responsible for railway tracks and bridges?
DRMs gets sacrificed for something which sectional engineering officers, CTEs and PCEs must be held responsible for
In response to the recent incidents on #Moradabad Division of #NorthernRailway where two trains came head-on at Khurja and #Asansol Division of #EasternRailway, the Divisional Railway Managers (#DRMs) have been sacked and transferred to distant locations. This decision mirrors transfer of the #DRM of the #DelhiDivision following a stampede at New Delhi Station during the Kumbh Mela where inquiry committee is yet to submit even after 11 months. Notably, these DRMs had served less than six months in their respective positions.
Concerns have arisen as #blame has been placed on relatively new Divisional Railway Managers, while the sectional S&T officers, Operating officers in Moradabad, and sectional Engineering officers in Asansol continue comfortably in their positions.
Inconvenient Truths
The alarming aspect of the Asansol Division case is the apparent collapse of the Eastern Railway’s tracks maintenance and worryingly, this isn’t news. When entire track maintenance process is visible on the Track Management System (#TMS), what did the Principal Chief Engineer (#PCE) and Chief Track Engineer (#CTE) do? Both are Railway Board appointees!
Another ‘minor’ detail is that the #Chairman of the Railway Board (#CRB), who is on a second extension—On-Contract, holds the position of Member Infrastructure (#MInfra) responsible for railway tracks and bridges. Furthermore, the previous Member Infrastructure was also not a career civil engineer.
These two “minor” details need to be considered alongside another: the Northern and Eastern Railways, plagued by poor #Tracks and #Safety issues, are run by General Managers with a background in #Stores.
To even assume that positions of General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers are just for pushing files is dangerously unsafe.
These ‘minor’ details take responsibility for poor safety straight to Minister’s door step and to higher political leadership.
To say #VinitaSrivastava had lesser field experience than #SudheerSharma of Stores service who replaced her is laughable. Mr Sharma had spent almost entire career in Mumbai and it was #Railwhisper’s sustained campaign that outgoing DRMs should not go back to their previous place of posting saw many entrenched officers pushed to other railways. It was strongly rumoured that he wanted to muscle in to #RailwayBoard in a position of #PED/Railway Stores by downgrading it. He was earlier Divisional Railway Manager of Ahmedabad.
Why the decision is a deathblow to all that remains?
We have repeatedly written that Divisional Railway Manager is a key position which has kept railway running despite toxicity of transformation by Khan Market Gang (#KMG). Earlier holding this post was a precondition to be even considered to become a general manager or a railway board member.
Sadly, this has now been dispensed with. So what does an officer get by becoming a DRM? Charlatans would have a great time, honest hard working officers would just have no incentive to step out of their departments to take onerous responsibility to run a division.
Now with these sackings, a DRM gets sacrificed for something which sectional engineering officers, Chief Track Engineers and Principal Chief Engineers must be held responsible for. And as inconvenient truths indicate, responsibility for Eastern and Northern Railway goes higher uncomfortably.
Is the lack of training for GMs & DRMs experience finally taking a toll on IR?
Read this article again published on 13 Oct 2025 at, “Is the lack of training for GMs and DRMs experience finally taking a toll on IR?”
Today there is no structured training to the Divisional Railway Managers unlike in past when National Academy of Indian Railways (#NAIR) trained 100% DRMs. What is the use of “Mission Karmayogi” when roles, competencies needed for Indian Railway’s most critical leadership triad is beyond the pale of any formal training.
Also, readers may see: 08 Jan 2024: “Indian Railways: True Face of Transformation–Disempowerment of GMs and DRMs”
2025-26: Dark Phase of Railway Safety
See this article written on 7 April 2025: “5 Days – 8 Derailments: IR’s Darkest Phase”
We hope that #Minister sahab reads this article and understands where real action is needed. Frightening DRMs will surely not serve cause of Railway Safety.
As we said—who selected these DRMs, was achievement and boldness even factored in or just WhatsApp, Linkedin type of officers made the cut?
There is a lot that needs to be answered and questions surely would be asked of the Railway Board’s Level-17 leadership and the 3rd Floor of Rail Bhawan.