GM/CR&WR Requested Public

To Bear With The Rly Admin.

Motormen's issues are under active examination of the Fast Track Committee

Mumbai : In view of the proposed hunger protest by motormen on 3.5.2010, Central Railway General Manager, Shri B.B. Modgil, and Western Railway General Manager, Shri R.N. Verma addressed a Press Conference at CST Mumbai on 1.5.2010. Media was briefed about the following points:

* Motormen of Central & Western Railways have given a notice that they will hold a hunger protest (driving the trains without having taken any food) w.e.f 6.00 hrs of 3rd May 2010.

* Their demands mainly relate to higher pay and allowances. Sixth Pay Commission recommendations have been fully implemented. They are demanding higher pay than recommended by Sixth Pay Commission and some additional allowances which are not in the recommendation of Sixth Pay Commission. However, their demands are being examined.

* Their agitation is not supported by any recognised unions and associations of the Railways.

* Regional Labour Commissioner held a conciliation meeting on 29.4.2010 and has advised them not to resort to the hunger protest w.e.f. 3.5.2010 and has fixed next hearing on 12.5.2010.

* Central & Western Railway Administrations are in continuous dialogue with the said motormen and are persuading them not to resort to such action and are hopeful that the Administration's appeal to the motormen will be properly understood by them and they will not go ahead with their agitation.

* In case it happens, the local train services may be affected adversely.

* State government authorities have been requested for augmenting the road transport facilities and bandobast as standby.

It was also stated that the Hon'ble Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee held extensive talks regarding motormen's issue with MP Shri Anandrao Adsool on 28th and 29th April 2010 and explained that the issues are under active examination of the Fast Track Committee.

Both the General Managers expressed that Railways are making the best of efforts to resolve the issue and requested the Public to bear with the railway administration and cooperate.

Mumbai Local Train Motormen

Flout Safety Norms

Lazy motormen often tie the mike around the speed handle, while train is in motion -- a gross safety violation

Mumbai : 'Keep your weight on the Dead Man's Handle, or the wheels won't hold the rail, keep your weight on the Dead Man's Handle, or the steam brake's bound to fail' sung Richard Thompson. However, these lyrics should be repeated often to the motormen of local trains in Mumbai.

The motormen of local trains have been flouting safety norms by locking the Dead Man's Handle (alternatively called the master controller) with a flexible mike (which is part of the communication system) so that they don't have to constantly hold it while the train is in motion

Dangerous

Placing their comfort over safety, the motorman locks the Dead Man's Handle, so that he can rest, as the train will run at a constant speed on its own. However, this practise is highly dangerous. If a motorman dies or faints in his cabin, there is every possibility that an accident could take place.

In the old-model trains, motormen used a piece of paper to lock the Dead Man's Handle.

Guidelines

According to guidelines, when the train is in motion or halts at any station, the motorman should hold the Dead Man's Handle with his right hand, and the left should be on the brakes. It has been found that motormen flout these safety norms on a regular basis.

What is a dead man's handle

A Dead Man's Handle is alternatively termed as the master controller. The Dead Man's Handle functions as an accelerator and brake. For braking, the Dead Man's Handle or the lever should be pulled towards the motorman and for acceleration it should be pushed up. The Dead Man's Handle is a safety feature, which automatically brings the train to a halt if the motorman becomes incapacitated or faces a medical emergency.

The Other Side

When contacted the railway authorities, S Mudgerikar, CPRO, Central Railway, said, "Drivers drive with full safety, and they are always alert. We have several officers monitoring them. They understand their responsibilities." While Western Railway CPRO, SS Gupta said, "Such cases are yet to come to the notice of the administration."

MASS CASUAL LEAVE

NOTICE BY CONTROLLERS

OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

Mumbai, India: The All India Train Controllers’ Association (AITCA) bearing Registration No. 17/9857-6/12/2002 (Labour Act 1926) is a pan-India association of the Control Cadre of the Indian Railways. We, the National Body of AITCA hereby would like to declare that we are going on a Mass Casual Leave Programme on the 1^st of May, 2010 which also is the International Labour Day. On this day, our entire Control Cadre, all over India, in all the divisions shall go on a pre-notified leave, for redressal of their long pending genuine grievances and demands like pay anomalies, filling up of vacancies, payment of stress allowance, etc.

Control Cadre is the nerve centre of train operations and are the eyes, ears and brain of the railways administration. We work day and night tirelessly all the 365 days in a year to ensure Mail/Express trains run to time and freight trains get optimum paths. With meagre staff strength of about 2600 all over India we run more than 16,000 trains a day. In short we control the asset management of Indian Railways in a dynamic situation round the clock incessantly moving trains on its entire network and are directly responsible for the turnaround of Railways as a profit making organisation. Drivers, Guards, Station Masters and all Train operation staff work under the Control Cadre and run train as per the guidance and instructions of the Controller. Their strength remains same or stands reduced over the last 50 years even though there is a massive increase in the number of Trains as well as Top Level Management.

This step shall nearly paralyse the working of the Indian Railways for 24 hours, nation- wide since the staff that is on duty on the 30^th night shall receive no relief staff to continue the work and shall stop working after his stipulated working hours.

We have been asking for some very basic demands through our memorandums to all Top Level Administration as well as the present and past Minister of Railways. We also had a meeting with the Centrally Appointed Sixth Pay Commission Panel headed by Justice Srikrishna. All these formal efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

Our demands are as under

Better Pay Scale:

Consequent to the merger of grades by various pay commissions without taking into considerations the work load and responsibilities of the various cadres has created disparity and brought the feeder cadres on the controller on par with control cadre.

Stress Allowance:

The hall mark of a controller is to remain cool collective and with utmost concentration through out the entire stretch of his duty and take split second multiple decisions and yet not falter. His job has become all the more challenging and strenuous due to the rapid growth in traffic and differential speeds of various trains. Due to the introduction of more and more new trains/specials all the sections have become over saturated and require extraordinary skill and concentration to manure the freight trains. The work load and stress on the controller has increased manifold and as the result of this more than 75% of the cadre is suffering from serious ailments like hypertension, diabetic etc. Hence the Association demands adequate compensation by way of stress allowance at 30% of the basic pay.

Such an allowance is received by another cadre which can be called as our contemporaries in the Air Traffic, the Air Traffic Controllers. They receive such an allowance to control the Air Traffic which is more technologically advanced with far lesser traffic than compared to rail traffic, whereas we who control the Train Traffic are denied such an allowance.

Filling up of vacancies:

Controllers work in shifts round the clock in a highly stressful environment and against nature. To maintain vacancies in such a sensitive and essential cadre will only prove counter productive and it will have a direct bearing on the health of the controller and above all safety will stand compromised. Though time and again various enquiry committees have stressed the need to have optimum man power in the essential cadres such as section controllers, Station Masters, Running Staff etc., the administration has not felt any urgency to fill up the vacancies.

At present, there are around 25% vacancies in control cadre. This has put added pressure on the controllers who are already under stress. Hence the Association demands the immediate filling up of vacancies.

Intensive Roster with calendar day Rest:

RLT Award, 1969 popularly known as Justice N.M. Miabhoy Commission has stressed the need to classify the control cadre as intensive and recommended its implementation. Yet the Railway Administration has not initiated any steps to classify the control cadre as intensive though the traffic since than has increased tremendously. Hence, the demand for classification of the entire control cadre as intensive stands justified.

The controllers work all 365 days with out a calendar day rest. He is deprived of family/social life. Hence in the present state of civilization and life style it is shameful to plead for the grant of weekly rest which should have been made mandatory by the administration themselves.

Increase in Leave Reserve:

Due to tremendous growth of traffic the work load and pressure on the controllers has increased manifold and as a fallout of which many controllers have contracted stress related diseases. To off set this, adequate rest and leave should be given, for which the existing 18% of leave reserve is inadequate and needs to be increased to 30% percent.

Brake down Allowance:

More than the field staff the controller is the only one who is over stressed during an accident. He needs to regulate traffic, arrange for transport of the injured and dead, order brake down special for relief and restoration work. Controller is the one who orders the Break Down special and monitors the movement from the time of departure to the time it reaches the spot. He ensures a clear passage for its speedy movement to the spot. The controller is in constant touch with the field staff at the spot ensuring the progress of restoration work apart from maintaining the traffic in the unaffected section. The anxiety and tension the controller undergoes cannot be explained in words. Yet, he is deprived of Brake Down allowance.

Mike allowance:

Controllers use the mike through out the entire stretch of their duty, shouting out instructions nonstop to field staff. The control is continuously engaged in communication with the field staff which is energy sapping. Even the Announcer and the Station Masters who uses pre recorded gadgets for making announcement are paid mike allowance and why not we the Controllers?

Exclusive department for control cadre:

As control cadre acts as a liaison between the management and the field staff to translate the policies of the administration into reality, it should be treated as a special cadre and kept under a separate department as is the case of Air Traffic Controllers. The Control cadre with its vast working experience and practical knowledge can take the Operations to a much higher level of productivity and safety.

One Boss:

In the years gone by the Control Cadre was answerable to only one official and used to take instructions from him alone. At that time the Rail Traffic was also less. But as of today, with such a drastic increase in Rail Traffic and Officer Cadre, rather than the Controllers being answerable to one boss, the Deputies have to give position to seven to eight officers and each one of them issues instructions conflicting the other causing confusion in the minds of a controller who is already in an intense job. Even Officers of CFTM level and other HQ level Officers takes position directly from DY’s and issues instructions directly to him.

Also, the Deputy Controller for whom time is as important as someone’s life is, wastes almost two hours giving positions to all these officers. The Officers are also very unpunctual in taking positions and often call for them when the Deputy Controller has to sign off duty compelling him to wait for another hour or so. This results in intense fatigue to the already tired controller, who puts in about 9-10 hrs of duty and it also slows down the performance level thereby severely affecting the overall performance of Indian Railways.

Secondly when all the positions are available on COIS / FOIS why should there be a duplicity of work by way of written and oral positions as well. This will give the Controller time for better planning and monitoring of the Trains which is the basic job of the Controller and not give position for hours together as a Telephone clerk, and then prepare punctuality reports to please the Bosses.

We hereby as an entire cadre would appreciate if the Fourth Pillar of Democracy, our broadcast and print media friends help us by being our voice and reach out to the administration, in particular and the masses, in general and they try and understand our apathy and plight and also understand why we are forced to take such an extreme form of protest.

MRVC has floated tender

for :

Design, Development, Manufacture, Supply, Test and Commissioning of 25kV AC microprocessor control IGBT based 3-phase propulsion system and equipments as per respective specification for Broad Gauge EMU Rolling Stock.

Details:

1. The Government of India/ Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (A Public Sector Undertaking of Govt. of India, Ministry of Railways) has applied for loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development towards the cost of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (Rail Component) and it intends to apply part of the proceeds of this loan to payments under this contract.

2. Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) Ltd. now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for;

(i) Design, Development, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of 72 Sets (12 car sets) of Complete IGBT based 3-phase electrics, associated equipments and other accessories as per their respective specification for the new motor coaches and trailer coaches, for the EMUs [to be built at Indian manufacturing unit] with existing mechanical design. Suppliers responsibilities have been embodied in the Bid documents.

Condition 2 clearly says 72 sets of 12car (or 96 sets of 9car EMU rakes)

As per Worldbank, Siemens cannot bid for this 2nd phase, hence this will be a different bidder and hence different supplier for traction motors etc.

=============================================

Now,

Problematic side of Phase1 and Phase2 EMUs rakes:

1. Already CR has standalone sets of BHEL ACDC rakes and MRVC ACDC rakes, which cannot be mixed. MUTP2 rakes would create another set of standalone rakes.

2. WR has Converted-Alstom-Traction Motors sets of 9xx ACDC rakes, and MRVC rakes, again, they cannot be mixed, hence maintained seperately, and ph2 rakes will add to another set of standalone rakes.

In effect, CR/WR has to maintain 3 types of EMU rakes seperately, in the sense, it cannot be used by mixing n shuffling coaches.

Yes, within these own types, the coaches can be mixed, but overall the flexibility which CR n WR had when they both had only DC rakes, will now be lost.

Comments/Brickbats welcome.

Regards

Vijay Aravamudhan,

Thane

First Revolving Restaurant On Track

Opened On 24th April Nagpur's SECR Muesium

Nagpur : If you are looking for an air conditioned revolving restaurant where you can spend an evening with your chums amidst rolling green surroundings, Nagpur is the place to turn to. The South East Central Railway Narrow Gauge Museum, inaugurated in December 2002 on the eve of the 150th anniversary of Indian Railways houses everything a narrow gauge heritage enthusiast may be looking for. For the location of the museum here, the authorities decided to use the dilapidated South Eastern Railway broad gauge steam loco shed, which after a major refurbishment, now houses the indoor exhibits.

The other artifact that was left untouched was the broad gauge turntable. For many years, visitors would find two ancient narrow gauge coaches lying unattended on the turntable, until finally a novel way of using them was devised.

The carriages were tastefully refurbished, the interiors were redesigned as a restaurant, and a vestibule connection added. Mr Kumar Newar, Manager of the museum, is enthusiastic about this innovation. "We are going to have LCD television here, and the restaurant is going to commence operation shortly, with snacks and eatables outsourced from a reputable restaurant," he says. Newar, formerly a Senior Section Engineer with the SEC Railway workshop in Motibagh, has a motor drive with reduction gear fitted to the turntable, making the whole assembly rotate slowly taking about 12 minutes for a full turn. The movement is a bit wobbly, but only serves to heighten the pleasure making you feel as though you are moving along in a slow train trundling along the track.

Landscaping of the museum grounds was sanctioned by the General Manager, SEC Railway, Bilaspur, and the effect is quite pleasing, resembling a park with well-watered grass and shrubs, slides and swings, old style benches, and a toy train which children find irresistible taking them on a long circuitous ride along the periphery of the 4.5 acre museum grounds.

Indoor exhibits include a large assortment of artifacts from a bygone age, kept in glass showcases, and forming a number of galleries. There are static models of locomotives and carriages on display, builder's plates, signalling equipment, hand-lamps and old telephone sets, a ground frame used for operating points, locomotive fittings, besides various other objects of interest. The archive houses a collection of rare stamps as well as old documents, locomotive specifications and diagrams, and railway manuals

For children, the greatest attraction indoors, besides an auditorium where films are screened, is a model room run by Narsing Das Bang. Over 60 years of age, Bang is a keen model rail enthusiast, and has set up his layout in a room specially allotted to him by permission, and has an impressive layout with 1 and HO model trains of German make complete with working points and signals.

Besides a diesel-hydraulic locomotive and a narrow gauge royal carriage built in 1899 by Orenstein Koppel of Germany, the principal attraction indoors is a 5 Bagnall 0-6-4 narrow gauge tank loco weighing 15 tons and having a maximum speed of 25 kmph. This baby tank engine is no old junkie—built in 1916 by Bagnall Limited, Stafford, England, this loco was reconditioned for a heritage run in 2002, and can be seen resplendent in bright red livery and polished brass fittings.

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Placed on a low `pedestal' outside the main building is a 39.5 ton 4-6-2 steam loco manufactured in 1907 by the North British Loco Company, Glasgow, UK. Cross over the lawn and you find yourself in a little `yard' complete with turnouts and a level crossing gate. Here you will find stabled a 1957 make steam crane of Italian make coupled to a goods brake van, and on the adjoining track, an oil tanker, old goods wagons and heritage carriages in the usual maroon-red livery.

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Narrow gauge, we are told, is rapidly passing into history. As I sat in calm solitude next to the guard's van eating my lunch, with the long silence pierced only by the chirp of birds and the far off cries of children, I couldn't help wistfully feeling that these objects, now immobile and silent, were once part of a great system throbbing with life and energy. Narrow gauge will soon fade away, but these remnants will remain, each with a story behind it.

WELCOME TO THE RAILWAYS OF IMPERIAL INDIA

This website sets out to capture the flavour of the Railways of the Raj, that giant colossus set up and equipped by the British and founded on the power of steam. We take a look at impressions, reminiscences and memoirs, pictures, extracts from diaries, even that odd letter Aunt Jane wrote telling how she was stranded at Bombay Victoria Terminus station back in the twenties...

RAILWAY COACH TOILETS

Daily 40,000 train coaches in use

Chennai : Daily 10 people per coach means 4 lakh people discharging 250 grams of faeces per person means, 400 tonnes all over Rlys yearly 1,46.000 tonnes.

Medically, one Kg of faeces contains 6 billion virus and bacteria around the track.

Winds blow at 15 Km per hour,200 million people around the track are affected Polio is transmitted through these faeces around the track by wind energy Hepatitis,diarrhea,cholera,typhoid and parasites diseases through hookworm.

For a P I L, the Rly said that this would cost Rs 4000 crores budget for green toilets.

In USA and Japan, the destination station takes care of by sewage discharge plant.

In Japan, Rlys use bio-toilet system bacteria to decompose the waste in the train and no need to empty the tanks, except once a year.

In India, Rlys can generate electricity when there is a steel tank, converted into methane from green toilets.

Indian Rlys need only 20,000 technicians for this retrofitting a simple method.

Gandhiji blamed the Rlys for causing diseases from tracks in ‘Hind Swaraj.’

CME/ICF Mr. Hemant Kumar says: Which design to adopt is the question? One is Biodegradable toilets or taking the train to discharge into a sewage treatment plant at the destination station. A controlled discharge system now in trial costs Rs 6.5 lakh per coach but not a green toilet.

Love On Track : On

Kolkata-Shimla Line

Shimla : It may be better to travel than to arrive, with the railways putting the 'honeymoon special' bogey for newlyweds back on track on the Kalka-Shimla route from next week!

"A Kalka-Shimla train will again have a special bogey - Shivalik Queen - for couples from next month," Shimla station superintendent G.S. Rajput said. The service, by Northern Railway, had been discontinued for the last few months due to renovation.

"The newly renovated compartment, of course, offers more privacy for couples in a luxurious environment with wall-to-wall carpeting and curtained windows," he said.

At least four couples can travel in a bogey at a time and the fare per couple is Rs.750 one way, he said.

According to the railway manual, the Shivalik Queen would be attached to 241 'A' Duplicate Shivalik Express that departs from the Kalka railway station at 6.30 a.m. every day.

"The honeymooners' bogey would be attached with the train only as per reservation. It generally operates regularly during the tourist season. In summer, the season begins April 15 and continues till June 15," commercial manager (railways) Amar Singh Thakur said.

However, if three couples want to travel jointly, they can also hire the Shivalik Palace bogey, but its fare is slightly on the higher side.

"Shivalik Palace is designed like a hotel room for six people. The bogey has folding cushioned beds and seats, wide glass windows that open, a refrigerator, on-board kitchen, a library and a dining table. It can be attached to any train on the Kalka-Shimla route. An onboard helper will be there to assist the travellers," he said.

According to him, the Shivalik Palace fare is Rs.4,970 from Kalka to Shimla and Rs.3,595 from Shimla to Kalka.

"The Shivalik Palace is also suitable for a family or friends who want to travel together," Thakur said.

However, the Shivalik Queen and Palace can only be booked through the Kalka and Shimla railway stations.

The journey from 640 metres above sea level at Kalka meanders through deep ravines, verdant forest of pines, deodars, oak and maples, to the 'Queen of Hills' Shimla, which is 2,060 metres above sea level.

The century-old rail line has been chosen by Unesco as a world heritage site in 2008.

This rail route also features in the Guinness Book of World Records for offering the steepest rise in altitude in a space of 96 km. More than two-thirds of the track is curved, sometimes at angles as sharp as 48 degrees.

Seven trains run between Kalka and Shimla during peak tourist season. Each 'toy train' - the popular name for it - has about seven coaches and can accommodate nearly 200 passengers.

There are 102 tunnels on the rail line. Initially, there were 103 tunnels, but tunnel number 46 does not exist any more.

"A journey by the Shimla toy train is one of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas. In fact, the entire journey covered in around five hours is almost incredible," said John Philips, a US citizen, who travelled for the first time on the Kalka-Shimla rail line.

21 कोच की होंगी पांच प्रमुख ट्रेन

इंदौर। रेलवे ने इंदौर से चलने वाली पांच प्रमुख ट्रेन को 21 कोच से चलाने का निर्णय लिया है। इसके तहत जुलाई से पुणो, हावड़ा, नागपुर, पटना और अमृतसर एक्सप्रेस में कोच बढ़ेंगे। सूत्रों ने बताया जुलाई से पांचों ट्रेन एक जैसे रैक कंपोजिशन से चलेंगी।

सभी में एक सेकंड एसी, दो थर्ड एसी, 12 स्लीपर और छह जनरल कोच होंगे। पुणो एक्सप्रेस में छह कोच स्थायी रूप से बढ़ेंगे। इनमें पांच स्लीपर और एक थर्ड एसी कोच बढ़ने की संभावना है। शिप्रा (हावड़ा) एक्सप्रेस में एक थर्ड एसी कोच ज्यादा लगेगा। पुणो, अमृतसर, शिप्रा और पटना एक्सप्रेस में 19 जुलाई से यह फेरबदल लागू होगा और तीनों ट्रेनों में इस आधार पर रिजर्वेशन शुरू हो गए हैं। नागपुर एक्सप्रेस के बारे में अभी आधिकारिक सूचना नहीं है। जनसंपर्क अधिकारी प्रदीप शर्मा ने कहा रेलवे की ओर से अब तक इस फेरबदल की सूचना नहीं आई है।

एक रैक बचेगा : रेलवे ने यह फेरबदल दो महत्वपूर्ण कारणों से लागू किया है। 21 कोच की होने वाली पांचों ट्रेन में सालभर वेटिंग रहती है। स्थायी रूप से कोच बढ़ाकर इस पर लगाम लग सकेगी। दूसरा, एक जैसे रैक होने और नागपुर एक्सप्रेस के मंगलवार को चलने से पश्चिम रेलवे के पास एक रैक अतिरिक्त बचेगा।

पुणो एक्सप्रेस पांच दिन चलाएं -सांसद : सांसद सुमित्रा महाजन ने ट्रेनों में कोच संख्या स्थायी रूप से बढ़ाने पर रेलमंत्री ममता बनर्जी को धन्यवाद दिया है। सुश्री बनर्जी को लिखे पत्र में उन्होंने आग्रह किया है कि इस बदलाव से जो अतिरिक्त रैक बच रहा है, उसका उपयोग इंदौर-पुणो एक्सप्रेस को पांच दिन चलाने में किया जाए। सांसद ने मंत्री को याद दिलाया है कि पुणो एक्सप्रेस को पांच दिन चलाने की स्वीकृति रेलवे टाइम टेबल कमेटी दे चुकी है।

रेलवे विद्युतीकरण सितंबर तक होगा पूरा

इंदौर : लंबी कसरत के बाद आखिरकार इंदौर-उज्जैन रेल विद्युतीकरण का काम कर रही कंपनी वेस्टन क्रॉम्प्टन आर्थिक संकट से उबर गई है। अब इसे पांचवीं कंपनी के रूप में हैदराबाद की सुजाना टॉवर्स कंपनी ने टेकओवर किया है।

एक साल से ज्यादा समय से कंपनी गहरे आर्थिक संकट में फंस गई थी और इसका सीधा असर इंदौर-उज्जैन और देवास-मक्सी रेल लाइन के विद्युतीकरण की गति पर पड़ रहा था। यह काम सालभर से ज्यादा समय तक पिछड़ता रहा है। सुजाना टॉवर्स ने रेल विद्युतीकरण, कोटा को आश्वस्त किया है कि वह मालवा के रेल प्रोजेक्टों के लिए सबकॉन्ट्रेक्टर्स को इसी हफ्ते से बकाया राशि देना शुरू कर देगी। इससे वे बचा हुआ काम तेज गति से कर सकेंगे।

रेल विद्युतीकरण, कोटा चीफ प्रोजेक्ट मैनेजर अवनीश कुमार ने बताया हम 25 अप्रैल से पहले नई कंपनी के पदाधिकारियों के साथ दोनों सेक्शन का दौरा कर बचे काम का जायजा लेंगे। इंदौर तक मेन लाइन का काम जून तक पूरा करना अभी भी हमारी प्राथमिकता में है और सितंबर तक इंदौर-उज्जैन और देवास-मक्सी ट्रैक विद्युतीकृत कर दिए जाएंगे। सुजाना टॉवर्स ने प्रतिबद्धता जताई है कि वह भिन्न रेल प्रोजेक्टों के रुके भुगतान के लिए इसी हफ्ते साढ़े पांच करोड़ रुपए जारी करेगी।

61 Gangmen Get Back Porters' Job

Pune : In November last year, 61 porters-turned-gangmen at the Pune railway station had gone back to their old jobs, disillusioned by the work profile of gangmen though rated higher than porters in the pecking order. Now, there are 70 more gangmen who wish to follow suit, but may miss out on making the cut as they had applied two months after the deadline.

Maruti Dhore, one of them, can’t help a hint of jealousy when he speaks of the “lucky” 61. “I submitted my application for my earlier post of porter in February though the deadline was in November. The delay happened because I was afraid of losing even the job of a gangman. Now, I am not sure whether I would ever become a porter again, as the railway also requires gangmen.”

Baban Kotwal, another gangman, said, “I envy those who could become porters again. I cannot get on with the job of a gangman, as it is cumbersome and in fact inhuman. We will continue our fight to become porters again no matter what it takes.”

Additional divisional railway manager (Pune) MG Dhamangaonkar said, “Any decision regarding the porters/gangmen cannot be taken at the local level. The matter has to be sent to Mumbai, to the headquarter office of the Central Railway, for consideration of the higher authorities.”

It was in 2008 that former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav announced that porters could apply for the post of gangmen. Around 170 porters at the Pune station availed themselves of this facility to become gangmen. However, the hardships and challenges involved in the work of gangmen was a blow to them; many of them wanted to quit their jobs immediately.

“That’s when the rush to get their original jobs back began. The railway authorities finally agreed and set a deadline of November 25, 2009, to apply for the porter’s post. But only 61 people applied and they were reinstated as porters in January this year,” said Dattatray Dhore, general secretary of the Indian Railway Licensed Porters’ Association.

88 engines in 4 yrs, CR's

Parel workshop comes of age

Mumbai : The Parel workshop of the Central Railway has manufactured 88 broad gauge engines in the last four years, 48 of which were sold to private companies, translating into earnings of around Rs 350 crore. The remaining 40 locomotives are being used by the railways.

Manufacture of broad gauge engines commenced at Parel workshop in August 2006, the first being flagged off on December 12, 2006. In 2007-2008 fiscal, 12 engines were manufactured. In 2008-2009, 33 were manufactured and in financial year 2009-2010, the workshop notched up its highest by making 42 engines.

As per the work order dated November 15, 2007, the cost of each locomotive was around Rs 7 crore. Manufacturing cost at Parel workshop is around Rs 1.5 crore and the material is sent by the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi. The locomotives were sold to non-railway customers like SAIL and NTPC.

According to railway sources, the idea of manufacturing engines was conceptualized in July 2006 and the staff at Parel workshop were trained at DLW in assembling BG locomotives and various logistics like drawing lists of material required, transportation, storage and testing of locomotives.

The DLW, the manufacturing unit of broad gauge engines, was not in a position to fulfill the increasing requirement of engines in India for the railways or accept orders of non-railway customers like SAIL and NTPC for supply of (WDS6 ) shunting locomotives. But, having learnt the capacity of Parel workshop from various supplies of intermediate components like underframe and others, DLW felt confident the Parel workshop, which till then was engaged in mainly overhaul of locomotives, could build BG Diesel Locomotives. Also, this workshop was permitted to manufacture goods engines.

Chief works manager at the workshop, Suneet Sharma, said, “Our staff is doing a good job. With the manufacturing of engines, Parel workshop has become a full-fledged manufacturing and revenue-making unit.”

Workshop track record

The Parel workshop was established in 1879, initially for carrying out repairs and periodical overhaul of steam locomotives. After steam locomotives started declining since 1972 in the Indian Railways network, the workshop started carrying out periodical overhaul of BG Diesel locomotives. Presently, the workshop is engaged in a variety of activities like, periodical overhaul of diesel, electric locomotives, BG and NG Diesel Hydraulic locomotives, 140-tonne cranes, mid-life rehabilitation of coaches, conversion of coaches and diesel locomotive component manufacture.

Trains to chug in to holy

town of Pushkar soon

Railway Board chairman says rail route work will be completed during this financial year

This news will elate pilgrims heading to Pushkar.

Chairman of Railway Board SS Khurana said that the holy town would be connected to rail route during 2010-11. He also expressed satisfaction over the performance of North Western Railways (NWR) in the past financial year, After visiting various railway stations and Ajmer division of NWR, Khurana addressed a press conference at the headquarters. He said, “Pushkar will be on the rail map. I am sure that the work will be over in this financial year itself.”

Asked about acquisition of one patch of land that is actually playing spoilsport for the opening of this rail route, Khurana said, “I think general manager (NWR) Vinay Mittal has already spoken to the state government on this issue. If needed, I am ready to talk on behalf of the Railway Board to sort things out.”

Khurana further said that with the completion of doubling of tracks from Jaipur to Bandikui this year, the problem of congestion of trains would be addressed. “After the completion of doubling, NWR can expect to increase the speed of trains on the Jaipur-Delhi route.”

As regards earnings of NWR in the 2009-10 fiscal, Khurana, said, “The approximate earnings during past financial year was around Rs2,990.22 crore that was 21% higher than figures of 2008-09.”

The chairman also made an inspection of Palace on Wheels train from Delhi to Jaipur.

About the performance of the train, he said, “I found that the running of the train is not up to the mark and it needs to be improved.”

Commenting on making Jaipur a world-class railway station, Khurana said, “I think first the feasibility report on this will be prepared and later, Jaipur will be developed as a world-class railway station on the module of public-private partnership.”

minor hurdles

Acquisition of a patch of land has been posing hurdles in the opening of this rail route

Khurana said the NWR has spoken with the Rajasthan government about the issue

Assured complete support for negotiations on land prices

Railways aims to complete the doubling of tracks from Jaipur to Bandikui this year

The work will help railways increase speed of trains running between Jaipur and New Delhi.