Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
In the race to make trains run faster, safety rules are being disregarded through the verbal orders of higher officials at almost every major station. There are repeated reports of loco pilots being pressurized to run trains contrary to the established rules, which is putting their safety as well as that of the passengers at risk. On the contrary, loco pilots are being punished for following the safety rules!
Now, news has been received that officials in Varanasi, Lucknow Railway Division of Northern Railway, have suspended Loco Pilot AK Srivastava and Senior Assistant Loco Pilot Adarsh Kumar Gupta for disobeying their wrong order. The loco pilots are being held responsible for the train delay, and an investigation is being conducted. Both the loco pilots had refused to violate the established rule GR 3.45 regarding calling on signal.
This incident occurred on 3 April 2024 when Train No. 13006 was run from Varanasi Pf No. 05 with the starter signal turned off and the calling on signal was turned off (running condition) even before the train stopped at the routing starter (S-14). Loco pilots called it a violation of GR 3.45 and said that after stopping the train, the calling on signal should be turned on and then turned off. But the Operating Deputy SS put pressure on the loco pilots to run the train in the same condition, bypassing the G&SR rules. The resulting dispute delayed the train.
All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA) has written a letter regarding the continuous use of calling on signal to speed up trains at the Varanasi station, which goes against GR 3.45 and GR 3.70, and the union has demanded an end to this practice (letter provided below). Such practices are only inviting major accidents in the future.
The Railway Ministry and the Central Government are responsible for the pressure on railway officials to run trains at higher speeds. Attempts to increase the speed of Indian Railways without improving railway infrastructure are dangerous. Such attempts are essentially playing with the lives of railway employees and passengers, which should be opposed by all railway employees and passengers.
