December 28, 2017
Pratima Mondal speaks on discrepancies in the recruitment of Railway Staff during Zero Hour
FULL TRANSCRIPT
I rise to speak on an issue which has not attracted much attention the Parliament yet. It concerns the safety the million passengers travelling via railways.
The selection of railways crew members plays a pivotal role in ensuring passenger safety. Despite this, it has been reported that 25% of the Railway crew is not being recruited according to the mandated recruitment rules.
The rules prescribe the selection of train drivers, assistant drivers, guards who form the basic team responsible for train operations. Railway accidents have caused huge loss of life and property. Amidst these growing instances of railway accidents, a proper and transparent recruitment procedure assumes importance.
The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report of 2015 pointed out persistent incompetency in the crew members who carry out railway operations. The Audit Report highlighted that the crew members were booked without ensuring their competency in all respects of the prescribed criteria. Another issue which came to light was related to the incorrect data entries on the training/tests for crew in the Crew Management System. This Crew Management System which is maintained by the Railways witnessed serious discrepancies related to the crew member details. Crew members were booked in excess of their prescribed duty hours.
We must note that one of the reasons attributed to accidents is failure of railway staff. The 12th Report of the Standing Committee on Railways on Safety and Security in Railways, suggests that loco-pilots (train-operators) are overworked because of the rising rail traffic. This stress and fatigue of the staff risks the life of the passengers. The Railways require staff are fit and rested to undertake freight. It was highlighted in the 2015 CAG Report that the grading of crew and their counselling was not done within the prescribed period.
I urge the Government to ensure that all railway zones adhere to the extant rules on recruitment of crew members.
