Resolution adopted by the Centenary Convention of All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) held at New Delhi from 23rd to 25th April 2024
Resolution No.9
STOP OUTSOURCING/PRIVATISATION IN RAILWAY PRODUCTION UNITS
Indian Railway’s Production Units are manufacturing rolling stock, having state of art technology, not only to beat the target fixed by the Railway Board, but also these Production Units are manufacturing much more units beyond the target fixed by the Railway Board.
Our Railway Production Units are also manufacturing rolling stock, which is competitive in the global market, so far as quality and cost is concerned. As such a number of countries are importing passenger coaches manufactured by the Indian Railway Production Units.
Almost all the Railway Production Units have come forward to accept the challenge of in-house manufacturing of Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat Coaches as well as High Horse Power Electric Locomotives. Three-phase technology equipped EMU coaches are also being manufactured in our Railway Production Units. Vande Bharat Express Train Sets, manufactured in-house by the Railway Production Units of the Indian railways, have been successfully operating on various routes of the Indian Railways, catering to the need of the rail users.
It is, however observed that Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) is inclined to allow private entrepreneurs to produce/manufacture coaches utilising infrastructure, machines and plants, jigs and tools, already available in the Railway Production Units, which would definitely prove to be disastrous because private manufacturing never pay due care for qualitative production as per prescribed standard. This would definitely prove to be a serious challenge to Railways safety.
Indian Railway’s own workforce is competent enough to manufacture almost all the rolling stock as per requirement, provided they are facilitated with required materials and every associated requirement. They can manufacture any kind of rolling stock as per requirement of the Indian Railways, as such this Centenary Convention of AIRF, being held in, strongly demands that no private entrepreneurs should be allowed to produce/manufacture any kind of rolling stock within the premises of the Railway Production Units, utilising their infrastructure, machines and plants, drawing and design, etc. If needed, these Railway Production Units may be made operational round the clock, with three 8-hour shifts, for which requisite manpower should be provided in these Production Units on priority.