A Season of Games, Extensions & Look After Arrangements While Trains Derail & CBI Arrests Senior Officers
A significant number of railway units and key offices of the #RailwayBoard are currently operating on ad-hoc basis, with ‘looking after’ arrangements.
At the same time the organisation is headed by a person on contract which raises the question of what the railways gained by extending their contract and upsetting a large number of officers. The answer is unclear.
Zonal Railways are also engaging in recreational activities. Recently officers and spouses of Central and Western Railways gathered in Mumbai to play games. Similar activities are currently taking place at the Eastern Central Railway.
While all DRMs were playing in Mumbai under the supervision of their General Manager Vivek Gupta, a #derailment occurred in the #Ratlam Division. We support every citizen’s right to enjoy their lives but not at the expense of others who are their paymasters as taxpayers. Such sporting extravaganzas held in the name of meetings must be discontinued as they are a colonial relic. While British officers were not concerned with such matters as they ran an empire through their officers, our country requires officers imbued with the spirit of sewa.
Cancer of Extension Metastasises
It is understood that up to four officers are likely to rejoin as OSDs or Advisors to the railway board, including #EDCC to the #CRB retired on 31 January. The file is reportedly with the Department of Personnel and Training. This is surprising given that Indian Railways has the largest number of outstanding officers in the government. The excessive number of officers at headquarters, particularly in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderabad etc, is noteworthy.
Sense of Entitlement
We reported how senior officers including General Managers, PHODs abused their position to organise lavish weddings of their children. It is shockingly learnt that a second #PHOD in Mumbai is now set to organise a lavish wedding of his child in a hill station on western ghats at a facility he nurtured in his earlier posting as DRM/Mumbai Division. Wedding is scheduled on 12th February at Lonavala. And, for this one senior scale officer is deputed for coordination and about 60 railway staff from all depots-sheds-branches of electrical department are selected to manage this event.
It would be good if EDCC calls such officers instead of taking night inspection position of zonal officers and take viva on expenses and railway resources being tapped for weddings. While these shenanigans in past haven’t helped derailment of DRM’s saloon and umpteen CBI cases, the phone calls to errant PHODS and GMs can atleast arrest economic exploitation of junior officers.
No more Sewaks, but Emperors
The Rail Minister and Prime Minister must address the issue of officers abusing public property and resources for private functions. This is unfortunately facilitated by the substantial investment in railway infrastructure by the Modi Government, overseen by these railway officers who make mockery of “न खाऊँगा न खाने दूँगा” slogan of Hon’ble prime minister. It is crucial that the Railway Board Chairman, Advisor Vigilance and Rail Minister take immediate action to prevent this from continuing.