Wither RDSO !

The RDSO failed to upgrade the specifications and practices, relying too heavily on vendors

The target can only be achieved by dismantling KMG and breaking the nexus between officers and vendors through an effective rotation system

#Railwhispers has consistently expressed concerns about the declining technical proficiency within Indian Railways. The organization’s reputation has been greatly damaged or compromised by frequent manipulation of appointments at the Research Designs & Standards Organization (#RDSO) by #vendors and their #interest groups, resulting in it being no more competent than the Central Organization for Modernization of Workshops (#COFMOW) or the Indian Railway Organization for Alternate Fuels (#IROAF).

However, is this to say that #RDSO has always been a #burden on #IndianRailways? According to retired experienced and senior officers from various departments, the answer is a unanimous big NO.

Looking at the basics: What is the role of RDSO?

The core function of #RDSO is to standardise products and practices in order to ensure the efficient operation of #IndianRailways within a limited budget. #RDSO has played a pioneering role in this regard by developing specifications, standardising products, and conducting comprehensive failure analysis to improve reliability. The organisation attracted highly skilled #engineers, and their #appointment required the #approval of the Minister for Railways.

It is surprising to observers that despite the minister’s approval being necessary for every appointment, #Ministers have criticised and blamed RDSO. Mamata Banerjee was the first and only #Minister to date who openly criticised RDSO in the Lok Sabha. #MamataBanerjee, #PiyushGoyal, and the current minister #AshwiniVaishnaw have all been harsh in their criticism of RDSO and have made efforts to reduce its powers, role, and influence.

How Did RDSO influence Safety while Regulating Performance & Reliability

To start, the #EDs and #SrEDs (now known as #PEDs) were highly experienced and respected officers in their field. They were able to gain the #respect of their #subordinates and had unrestricted access granted by higher-ranking officials. They diligently kept track of failure data and were well-informed about every instance of system failure. They summarised the failures and thoroughly investigated any novel failures that occurred.

RDSO and Vendor Development

The Research Design and Standards Organization (#RDSO) has been responsible for the #vendor development of various items used on the Indian Railways across different departments. The #organization has followed a principle of controlled spread. When a new vendor expresses interest in becoming a railway vendor, their facilities are assessed to determine if they are capable of #manufacturing the desired item.

The vendor then submits a manufacturing plan, known as a Quality Assurance Plan (#QAP), which is approved by #RDSO and must be followed during production for the Indian Railways.

Once the #QAP is approved, the vendor manufactures a #prototype or first article, which is then tested in the manufacturer’s facility or third party laboratories. Depending on the complexity of the product, #RDSO may also conduct in-process inspections to ensure the prototype is being manufactured correctly. After the prototype is tested, it may be cleared for use or RDSO may require a field trial to evaluate its performance under real-world conditions. This process ensures that items are reliable and safe when manufactured using the approved QAP.

However, for certain items where field trials are deemed unnecessary, the approval of the prototype may be sufficient for the new vendor to supply products to the railway system. Previously, RDSO followed a two-step process before a #vendor could supply quantities without restrictions in a tender. After the approval of the #prototype, the vendor would be placed in the #developmental category (#Part-II), and only a maximum of 20% of the quantity could be given to vendors in this #category in any given #tender. This allowed for careful introduction of products from new vendors, providing time to evaluate performance and build confidence in their ability to consistently follow their QAP.

Once the #vendor supplied a certain pre-specified #quantity for a designated period, they were upgraded to the #regular category (#Part-I). However, in cases where there are only three or fewer indigenous vendors available, the 20% cap on quantities in a tender does not apply. Additionally, as part of the process of liberalisation, RDSO now grants regular status directly after the approval of the prototype, with or without a field trial.

Messing Up

It is true that the #vendor_directory of RDSO has been manipulated just like the posting of officers. Part-I sources have created difficulties for new vendors and have consistently priced their items higher than those supplied by Part-II sources. In response, the Railway Board has given three instructions-

1. RDSO should transfer most of its vendor directory items to #CORE and #PUs for #Electrical and #Mechanical directorates.

2. Efforts should be made to place #vendors in the Part-I category soon after the completion of #prototype tests.

3. Field #trials should be the exception rather than the rule.

From an #engineering perspective, products that require a complex process to manufacture – #pressure, #temperature, #chemical/#metallurgical #transformation – require two step process to ensure the vendor’s ability to be consistent on its process control.

On the other hand, #fabricated items requiring the right grade of material and straightforward processes using only templates or fixtures to manufacture can be introduced faster. Here items which are very critical like #signalling items prone to process inconsistency and direct or indirect contributors to poor #safety, field trials are unavoidable.

However, due to #vendor complaints and ongoing #Vigilance and #CBI cases, officers started treating all items in the same manner.

What is Required

Similarly, for items that involve #electronics and #software, like #SCADA, #protection relays, #signalling relays, #axle counters, #thermit portion, #rails, #brake components like #pads, #discs, #valves and electronic #interlocking systems, detailed scrutiny is needed to ensure that vendors can handle field failures and maintain process consistency.

On the other hand, items that undergo more rigorous endurance testing than real-life applications can be categorised in part-I once the vendor’s ability to consistently deliver #quality is established may be insisting on successful manufacture of a lot before clearance for Part-I.

Has the #RailwayBoard and #Minister thoroughly investigated the reasons behind the #Balasore incident in June 2, 2023 and the #Samlaya incident in 2005, which were both caused by the same issue which persisted for almost 20 years?

The main problem lies in the extremely unreliable #signalling equipment, particularly its #cables. The Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) failed to upgrade the #specifications and #practices, relying too heavily on #vendors.

The solution is not to completely relinquish control, but rather to entrust it to more capable individuals. This can only be achieved by dismantling #KMG and breaking the #nexus between officers and vendors through an effective #rotation system.

Compiled & Edited by Suresh Tripathi