The Hindu Business Line : Rly Board asks GMs to surrender redundant posts

New Delhi, Nov. 13 The Railway Board has asked its general managers to surrender non-operational, non-safety related and redundant posts in the lower ranks. This is in line with its target of reducing one per cent of staff strength in Group C and Group D posts each fiscal.

According to data as on March 2007, which is the latest available, the Railways employed about 1.37 million people out — of which only 13,839 officials were in the higher categories of Group A and B.

This financial year the Railways had a target of surrendering 13,150 posts in areas that are not directly limited to safe operation of trains and where there is scope for reduction on account of redundancies and outsourcing.

However, the Railways are also recruiting in areas related to operations such as station masters and assistant station masters, drivers and assistant loco pilots and guards.

The boards are recruiting over 20,000 people resulting in an increase of 5-10 per cent in on-roll staff in categories like station master, drivers and guards against the last few years.

The Railways has started a practice of benchmarking the manpower productivities in various departments such as diesel and electric locomotive sheds, EMU sheds, signalling and telecom, accounts and permanent way. Through this, it has arrived at an average productivity level and is attempting to improve productivity levels for those areas that have lower productivities.

This policy of reduction of non-safety related posts in Indian Railways has been in force since about two decades now, said a reliable source in the know.

“As it is, about 3-3.5 per cent of total Railway strength retire every year. It was decided that keeping with higher dependence on automated equipment Railways will hire about 2-2.5 per cent of the vacancies and the balance will be surrendered,” explained the source.

“When huge investments are made in improved technologies, the need for number of people goes down. Anyway, by buying improved machinery, the Railways is indirectly supporting employment (in the small and medium enterprise segments),” the official said.

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