Minister for Railways and His Emissaries!
Astonishing Level of Scamming by #KMG Revealed – How Senior Politicians have been Hoodwinked!
Who could be so powerful and impacted by our #KMG series that they would deceive a senior political leader, mentioning the Minister’s name?
We have repeatedly informed the Minister about the fact that perhaps his name has been used without his consent with decisions that have tarnished the organisation’s reputation and Government of India’s image.
When we exposed the group of officers known as “Khan Market Gang” (#KMG), we started receiving threats and pressure to stop. However, thanks to the support of our #readers, we continued fearlessly to write articles based on crowdsourcing and the factual information you provided. This has few parallels in #journalism in our country. The #feedback we received was compiled in 5 volumes and widely circulated.
Let me share an incident that was recently verified. In December 2022, a senior political leader named Shri #KripashankarSingh approached your #editor. He graciously visited my humble #home and expressed genuine interest in understanding what #KMG is and why our paper is ‘targeting’ certain #RailwayBoard officers. Shri #KripashankarSingh, who has served in the cabinet of the Maharashtra government, holds high standing among politicians from all parties.
Shri #KripaShankarSingh explicitly mentioned that he visited me at the request of Shri #AshwiniVaishnav, Minister for Railways. In response, I explained the issues that are concerning the passengers and the railwaymen, both serving and retired. I emphasised that, like most railwaymen, we believe that the Hon’ble #MR should eliminate #KMG and restore sanity to the system. Shri Singh assured me that he would convey this message to the Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnav.
Following this visit, we sent following issues through social media and through the mobile numbers we had:
1. Why is 100 crore additional spent on #VandeBharat service?
o We have published a three part series on #Sudheer Sense vs #Modi Sense which examines that by use of existing #RollingStock instead of 14000 hp/16 coach train, one can have 18000 hp/16-24 coach train and still save 100 crore. Even #MaharajaExpress was on #ICF coaches.
o You can have seating and sleeper, GS straight away.
o Who are your core voters? Those who have availed toilets, water and electricity connection or Vande Bharat passengers?
2. What action is taken on dirty linen, extremely bad bio toilets?
3. Why #Madhepura costs are not renegotiated? Why for a failed #loco we are paying above Rs 32 crore while a 12000 hp loco made by combining two locos of IR’s factories will cost just Rs 20 crore?
4. Why no action on RKRai-Ganesh-DRM/MAS-RPBharati-CEDE/ECR? What is compulsion? Why no action on #nexus of RKRai-Ashok Kumar?
o Why cases investigated by them are not reopened and white papers published?
o Officers put under #investigation and in #SecretList have been #harassed, though they were finally acquitted.
5. Irregular posting – what is of interest to #MRCell?
o What was needed to accommodate #Shamsi in Delhi? He was shunted out on specific inputs, he was ordered to go to #NCR. But he managed #deputation in #DFCCIL and without even going there got posting in Baroda House. Who hoodwinked #CRB (VKTripathi)?
o Why was #Nakra’s orders to #SECR cancelled? Why against the decision of #PiyushGoyal and #SuneetSharma, a post was brought back to #RailwayBoard and accommodated him?
o Why is the case of wrong posting of #CVO/#RDSO not investigated, MR’s signature in all these cases taken-was #MR party to these decisions? If yes, why did he have to support people with a tainted past?
6. What is the need for multi-year #contracts? IR’s own experience has been #reduction in cost by its #PUs using reverse auction, whereas Madhepura-Marhowrah locomotive’s prices are increasing every-year?
7. Why is #IR not releasing information through #RTI?
o What was the scope of the Emotional Intelligence tender? Why is it suppressed? Who approved it? It is a clear case of suppressing information on #expenditure of public funds. This suppression is illegal.
o Who benefits by the suppression of information?
8. #Rotation:
o We gave feedback from #ProductionUnits where lack of #rotation has helped #criminal elements.
9. #DRM selection criteria:
o Why stuck at 52 while selectively promoting others?
o Why DRM/Kota’s #repatriation for speaking against #government not considered before his posting?
10. Signal Cartels:
o Why #Signal_Cartels are protected by #RailBhawan?
o Why #Vendors paid several times higher price by just manipulating #Stores vs #Works conditions? Facts have been published.
11. When it is known that signal interlocking is easy to manipulate and bypass, what did RDSO, Railway Board do? Why were alerts suppressed? Has Mr Hari Shankar Verma been punished for speaking the truth?
12. Was #PM informed when he came to #Balasore that he had attended an identical #accident in Samlaya as #CM in 2005?
13. Why #mistake on #IRMS not accepted and systems be reset?
o Even #RailwayBoard’s note accepts that officers would not be having required background. 6 month bridge course-that is not even #ITI.
o How would these officers approve #bridges? Why such a major risk with #safety?
14. Case of wrestlers’ protest:
o All three were railway officers.
o Why CPO/NR, GM/NR, CRB, ED/Sports, PED/HR, DG/HR etc. did not act within 24 hours and save the government from international embarrassment?
o Why MR did not step in?
15. What would have happened if instead of #Coromandel, a #VandeBharat was wrongly signalled? Has MR been briefed?
Twist!
Here’s where the story takes a twist. Your editor was recently invited to #RailBhawan to discuss the issues directly with the Hon’ble Minister, Shri #Vaishnav. In the interest of fairness, I shared the #conversation we had with Shri #KripashankarSingh with him. To our surprise, Hon’ble #MR expressed that he does not even know Shri Kripashankar Singh and that he never sent anyone to meet me to understand the issues!
This #vehement denial by Hon’ble MR raises more questions than it answers. Who could be so powerful and impacted by our #KMG series that they would deceive a senior political leader like Shri Kripashankar Singh, mentioning the Minister’s name?
This further strengthens our belief that beneath the surface of government, there are individuals who #control and #manipulate the #system for their own interests, disregarding the #Minister – the group railwaymen call #KMG.
What was discussed with MR
Following were my notes which were used while discussing issues with #MR-
1. Rotation:
o Focus on New Delhi-where MR sits: शमसी का केस, #KMG के सदस्यों का रेल भवन, बड़ौदा हाउस में दसियों साल का कार्यकाल। हाल ही में मीनू चोपड़ा का केस-वहीं प्रमोट होकर 11-12 साल से टिके रहना-ये भी सोशल मीडिया में आ चुका है। आवश्यक है कि प्रमोशन पर स्टेशन परिवर्तन हो। रोटेशन का अपवाद पर्सनल अप्रूवल से ही हो, cogent कारण पर्सनल रिकॉर्ड करके!
o Focus on Varanasi-PM’s constituency: #बरेका के केस-जहां रैकेट डिपार्टमेंटल प्रमोटी अधिकारी चला रहे हैं। #RSS के कार्यकर्ताओं का फीडबैक लें, दो जीएम के लिखने के बावजूद रेल भवन क्यों ऐसे तत्वों को संग्रक्षण दे रहा है? #KMSingh का मुद्दा जब सोशल मीडिया #Railwhispers ने उठाया तब उस पर कार्यवाही हुई, लेकिन उसे वाराणसी से उठाकर प्रयागराज में रख दिया गया। यहाँ भयाक्रांत कर्मचारी इन तत्वों से दबे हैं। इन अधिकारियों के प्रोटेक्शन रैकेट चलते हैं और कोई इंडस्ट्री इनके समर्थन के बिना काम नहीं कर सकती।
2. फीडबैक ये है कि निष्ठावान अधिकारी विजिलेंस द्वारा सताये जाते हैं, मंत्री जी भी उनका सार्वजनिक मखौल बनाते हैं-कितनी बार ये बात बोली गई कि हमने लोगों को 56J में निकाल दिया। लेकिन गणेश-भारती जैसे केस आपके ही तंत्र से प्रोटेक्टेड हैं। शमसी को दिल्ली से और मनोज कुमार को कोलकाता से आप नहीं हिला पाए। यही हाल ऐसे अफसरों का हुआ जो 26-27 साल में पहली बार मुंबई से निकले जब वहीं DRM नहीं बन पाए!
3. क्यों विजिलेंस के रैकेट को नियंत्रित नहीं किया जा रहा? आपके ही नीचे आर. के. राय जैसे अधिकारी प्रधानमंत्री के संसदीय क्षेत्र में पोस्ट होते हैं, जबकि उन्होंने सीनियर स्केल के बाद पहली बार कोई एग्जीक्यूटिव पोजीशन ली थी! ये आपका मापदंड है अपने प्रधानमंत्री के संसदीय क्षेत्र का! यही हाल अशोक कुमार का है जो रेलवे बोर्ड विजिलेंस में लंबे समय से पोस्टेड हैं। क्यों धर्मेंद्र कुमार, जो प्रयागराज में विजिलेंस के मारक तंत्र का हिस्सा थे, उन्हें फिर बनारस लोकोमोटिव वर्क्स (बरेका) में डिप्टी सीवीओ बना देते हैं?
4. क्यों नहीं आर. के. झा, अशोक कुमार, आर. के. राय जैसे अधिकारियों के द्वारा बनाए गए विजिलेंस केसेस का पुनरावलोकन और पुनरीक्षण नहीं हुआ? जिन लोगों ने शुभ्रांशु जैसे कार्यक्षम, निष्ठावान और योग्य अधिकारियों को एग्रीड लिस्ट पर डाला गया? उनकी जाँच क्यों नहीं हुई? क्यों उन अधिकारियों की जाँच नहीं हुई, जिन्होंने विपिन कुमार की CVO/RDSO की पोस्टिंग में मंत्री जी से गलत हस्ताक्षर करवाए? क्यों मंत्री जी की धमकियाँ निष्ठावान अधिकारियों को ही मिलीं?
5. क्यों सिग्नल कार्टेल की जाँच नहीं हुई? सिग्नल की समस्याओं के पीछे सिग्नल केबल की बड़ी कार्टेल है, जिसने इनकी क्वालिटी ठीक नहीं होने दी। आपको कौन बता रहा है? कौन समझा रहा है? यदि पिछले कुछ सालों में बड़े एक्सीडेंट नहीं हुए, तो इसका मतलब ये नहीं था कि आपने कोई बहुत बड़ा काम कर लिया था!
6. बालासोर अपने में पिछले 6-7 महीनों के दौरान छठा केस था! क्या आपको पता था? आपने इसकी जानकारी क्यों नहीं ली? क्यों इसी तरह के एक्सीडेंट 2005 से लगातार हो रहे हैं? आपने क्या किया? कवच अकेला हल नहीं है! याद रखें, केवल हथियार खरीद लेने से देश सुरक्षित नहीं होता। आपके रोलिंग स्टॉक की और सिग्नलिंग सिस्टम की बड़ी खरीद रेल की सुरक्षा या सेवा ठीक नहीं करेंगी-सेना की तरह रोजमर्रा के काम डिसिप्लिन से करने पड़ेंगे!
7. भ्रष्टाचारियों को प्रोटेक्शन देना बंद करें मंत्री जी। बनारस-दिल्ली तो पहले सँभाल ही लें, और गणेश-भारती को तुरंत बर्खास्त करें।
8. सुधीर कुमार के PhD गाइड को इमोशनल इंटेलिजेंस का कॉंट्रैक्ट देना बहुत बड़ी गलती है, इसे सुधार लें। इसके लिए #DRDO, #AIIMS, #NIMHANS जैसे संगठनों की सहायता ली जा सकती है!
क्रमशः जारी…
प्रस्तुति: सुरेश त्रिपाठी