Unprecedented and Scandalous
Minister Saheb, you have #disregarded the #feedback from officers and staff who strongly support Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi’s vision for a #developed, #safe and #reliable-railway-network in India. Instead, you have chosen to surround yourself with #opportunistic individuals
We have repeatedly shared our insights with you and your office before making them public. We believed that senior officers would not have access to the kind of feedback we possess. This is why we always provided feedback to your office first. However, as we predicted, the #railway-system now finds itself in a deep mess of #corruption, #nepotism, #inefficiency, and #incompetence.
Please Read: “There is an outcry in the Railway, save it Modi ji – An Appeal to Hon’ble PM to save Indian Railways!”
On September 14th, an article was published stating that 18,000 #wagons are currently idle due to lack of demand, while preparations are being made to #purchase an additional 40,000 wagons. We understand that upon reading this, you made the decision to cancel this #tender, which was the right move.
On August 29th and September 4th, we published a two-part series on the #Stores department, focusing on the themes of #rotation and #nepotism-
“The Indian Railway’s reputation and the trust of its employees and the public are at stake”
“The Indian Railway’s reputation and the trust of its employees and the public are at stake, Part-2”
Following these publications, no action was taken. We highlighted how #caste affiliations were given unprecedented priority, particularly during #VKYadav’s tenure as #CRB and #AtulGupta as AM/Stores.
In past few months, two #PCMMs have been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (#CBI), of which one got further charged by the Enforcement Directorate (#ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (#PMLA). In addition, atleast six officers of the Stores Department, from #NFSAG-#SeniorScale have been arrested, with four arrested in just half day recently in #Mumbai, which is highly #scandalous and unprecedented.
https://twitter.com/Railwhispers/status/1730695112529969554?s=20
How Did We Reach Here?
https://twitter.com/Railwhispers/status/1730695112529969554?s=20
It is learnt that one of these officers took money in his bank account! How are people so emboldened?
We consulted our highly regarded senior #readers who have extensive #experience in #system creation and #administration, and have earned the admiration and respect of their colleagues and juniors for their impartiality. Their #inputs are given below. We request Hon’ble Minister for Railways (#MR) and Chairman, Railway Board (#CRB) to implement the suggestions and take note of the issues mentioned by them-
- Why were the Principal Heads of Departments (PHODs) unable to navigate the correct path? It is clear #evidence of the #PHODs and #HODs failing-and of the #GM also. This is also a #failure on the part of the #SDGM and his office. #Railwhispers highlighted the unfair practices of the stores department’s leadership in their two-part article mentioned above. #Railwhispers has consistently mentioned that the #behavior of each railway officer is widely known in the network, so why did the stores department allow the situation to escalate to the point where two PHODs have been arrested and at least six officers have been charged in the past six months, with four of them being charged on the same day within a few hours?
- #Railwhispers has raised the need of making #GMs and #SDGMs accountable for every #CBI case. It is their failure.
- We published on 24 Nov, Now, “ED books trapped PCMM/NER under PMLA”. Had the MR and CRB read this carefully: On 15 April: “KMG_2.0: A cynic’s view – रेलवे के धनकुबेरों का सिंडीकेट”, we had clearly given very easy method of doing #preliminary scan. Also see what remains unacted upon: On 02 April: “अधिकारी-वेंडर-नेक्सस का नया स्वरूप-अधिकारी स्वयं बना वेंडर”. On 24 April: “अधिकारी-वेंडर-नेक्सस का नया स्वरूप-अधिकारी स्वयं बना वेंडर! भाग-2”. On 02 May: “अधिकारी-वेंडर-नेक्सस का नया स्वरूप-अधिकारी स्वयं बना वेंडर, भाग-3”. This embarrassment would have been avoided.
- It was reported that #RailwayBoard #Vigilance directorate has been running #protection & #extortion racket. Why has successive #CRBs failed to act on that? #RKJha got transferred out only when topmost #bureaucratic office asked #RailBhawan to act.
Unveiling the Viciousness of Vigilance: A Look Back at the Last Two Decades
#Board-Vigilance has been a #tool which has been successfully used by unscrupulous officers. Arunendra Kumar hitting out Mr. #RSVirdi successfully weeding him out from his path is well known. Mr #RKJha used the same trick with Mr #AKLahoti and some others, but, Mr Lahoti’s connections saved him in just nick of time. World knows of what happened to the production team of #VandeBharat. Project was delayed by 3 years by combined efforts of RKJha-RKRai-AshokKumar. But by extending #protection to all three, Rail Bhawan signaled that being #honest and #upright is not sufficient – it is important to pay up to these protection and extortion rackets. List of affected officers is indeed very long – most of them lost out on their dues, like Mr. #Sanwalka who was hit by a stores officer. This stores officers well after #retirement is reportedly a very successful consultant to most unscrupulous #vendors of #electric locomotives.
Why Such Young Officers Losing Principles So Early? Who Misguided Them on Wrong Path?
One concerning question is how a young stores officer from the 2017 batch could be manipulated and deceived. This officer was recently promoted to the Junior Administrative Grade (#JAG) just two weeks ago. This situation arises when young officers are placed under #corrupt-superiors who demonstrate that brazen behavior can lead to protection and wealth. In such circumstances, why would these young officers bother developing qualities of fairness and integrity?
It is important to acknowledge the influence of long-serving Group ‘B’ officers in this matter. While there are many highly dedicated Group ‘B’ officers who have made significant contributions to the organization, there is also a growing number of unscrupulous officers who have become #experts in their specific positions. These officers have established close relationships and easily manipulate and groom inexperienced direct officers who lack the #maturity to objectively evaluate their Group ‘B’ seniors. Young officers often #struggle to meet their basic needs, which makes them #vulnerable to being #trapped by these Group ‘B’ officers. I want to reiterate that I have nothing against the exceptional Group ‘B’ officers who are an integral part of the organization, as they too would understand the concerns I am expressing.
No Alternative to Administrative Probity-Learn From Armed Forces
There is no #alternative to #rotation. On #promotion to Group ‘B’, officers need to be sent to different railway in different region. Not like #ER to #SER or #NR to #NER sticking in Lucknow or becoming members of All India Delhi Service (#AIDS). This is also important to give balanced #training to young officers. Just to put blame on 2017 batch officer who is too young to develop such tendencies would not be appropriate.
It is necessary to ensure that General Managers (#GMs) and Senior Deputy General Managers (#SDGMs) are held #accountable for every case handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (#CBI).
The #severity of the #offences which have been reported in past half year requires immediate #rotation and #transfer of the entire leadership of the board’s #Stores and #Vigilance officers, without waiting for their tenures to be completed. The fact that four officers were trapped within half a day is unprecedented and scandalous. It is important to get rid of ‘professional’ vigilance officers who avoided #decision-making roles in their career and became #judges of #executives who bear responsibility of running organisation. This #principle of having field officers only in vigilance-roles needs to be upheld. Additionally, it is crucial to place all stores officers in positions where they have executive responsibilities.
We have pointed out multiple instances where #Vigilance-officers have been given multiple tenures, look at #AshokKumar, #RKRai in #Delhi and #DharmendraKumar In #Varanasi. Dear reader do not forget brazen manipulation to post #CVO of #RDSO at Lucknow who had to be transferred after scandal was broken by #Railwhispers. Incidentally he had to take forced #VRS soon afterwards.
Here it is important to point out that with such level of #interference in RDSO by Rail Bhawan, #ADG of RDSO was sent on forced leave for not being well prepared for meeting chaired by MR. DG/RDSO has at least six officers under him who are otherwise senior to him – these officers are so demoralised that they are awaiting their #pensions and avoiding any #decision-making. This is a very #demoralising situation for the system.
https://twitter.com/Railwhispers/status/1730289686986551647?s=20
One other question being posed is: Why was DG/RDSO not sent on leave? Why hasn’t the Railway Board been able to determine who should be held accountable? Does the CRB office recognize that the ADG is primarily responsible for the works program while the Special DGs oversee specialized tasks? Since they all hold the same position, the #confusion, which is a result of the Board’s actions, should be dealt with, professionally by the Board itself.
Accept Failure of IRMS and 360 Degree Review
One more disturbing thing has emerged, if one sees the article – “There is an outcry in the Railway, save it Modi ji – An Appeal to Hon’ble PM to save Indian Railways!”. This clearly shows that 360 degree evaluation has failed completely. Why have officers found #suitable in #IRMS L-16 & L-17 need to be shifted, shunted or demoted?
360 degree #evaluation for senior posts in Railway Board has been an unqualified success. Rail #accidents have stopped? #Punctuality has improved? #Crowding in trains has vanished? Average #speeds have gone up under new Board & GMs? Then why an #IRTS officer who #failed both L-16 review for empanelment in IRMS is being given charge of #MOBD! in L-17?
Why cannot #government see the obvious?
Vigilance-Reforms
It is important that Ministry of Railways (#MoR) invite suggestions from #retired and #serving officers on #vigilance-reform and act on it.
As mentioned in previous article – “There is an outcry in the Railway, save it Modi ji – An Appeal to Hon’ble PM to save Indian Railways!” – if every #player who decides to #play for his team gets red card, who will be left to play? the #administrators? Something that is happening today. People who never have worked in decision making positions are being given precedence over those on whose shoulders #IndianRailways stands.
There is difference between #administrative-mistakes and having #malafide-intentions. It is on this fine balance that #professional-extortionists and #incompetent vigilance officers play upon. System is such that once vigilance sets sight on someone, there is nothing to save him, unless he has good connections like Mr #Lahoti-this is #antithesis of #professional-working. #Madam-CRB must set this right.
Administrative-Reforms
Continued support to #projects like #Madhepura has seriously vitiated professional conduct of the organisation. Stranding of a #Mail/#Express train for 12 hours near #Khandwa/#Itarsi section on mainline is case in point, #Balasore, #Ondagram, #Raghunathpur etc. are telling examples of #professional-incompetence. Does Indian Railways not have subject matter experts? They do but they are not in AIDS, they are not in Rail Bhawan-where only loud-mouths can be found. Subject matter experts are feared by the #vendor-lobbies and their co-opted friends in ranks of officers.
https://x.com/railwhispers/status/1726623722852036786?s=46
Having messed up the #railway-leadership ranks, it is now #responsibility of #political-leadership to set the course correct. Method pioneered by #SudheerSense has utterly failed and sowed enough seeds of poison ivy which will bring bad name to honest intentions of the #Central-Government. Make #examples of the network of #KMG we published about. Give confidence to officers that system will be fair.
Why should not #promotion in to Group ‘B’ be also point to #transfer an officer to another railway in different geography? #Rotation of all officers is inescapable.
Back-to-Basics
Now #RailwayBoard is talking of Back to Basics approach. But Madam CRB read this:
Officer who warned in February about accidents like Balasore has been found #unsuitable for #IRMS L-16! While officers who never held even for one day position where they took decisions on #Safety are being made general managers.
