By Shri Ugrasen, a reader of AIFAP
Recently, a massive demonstration by Indian Railways loco pilots took place at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. A video of the demonstration was streamed on the “Vikalp Vani” YouTube channel. A leader of the loco pilots stated in an interview that “an alert loco pilot is the best safety device.” The brutal overstretching of loco pilots on duty raises the question: if this government is “of the people” and ” for the people ” then why are the voices of railway employees and the general public not heard, despite their numerous mass protests? Can we call a system so careless about ensuring safe rail travel a democracy?
(Translation of Hindi article)
It is very surprising to hear that Indian government talks about installing modern technology to monitor sleeping loco pilots. This is a cruel joke, because first, the government forces these loco pilots to work 12 hours or more at a stretch, which exhausts them. And then they implant retinal tracking technology to track them. If they were well-rested, would such a technology be necessary ?
The above raises serious question: Will modern technology be able to eradicate this problem? Let’s assume that this modern technology catches a tired loco pilot (LP) or assistant loco pilot (ALP) in the act of ” microsleeping” (falling asleep for a few moments). What options will Indian Railway officials have in such a situation? Will they stop the train and prevent it from moving until a new loco pilot is found?
Appointment of new loco pilots to fill the huge number of vacancies, is this not a long-standing demand of the Indian Railways’ loco pilots? Haven’t they been fighting for this demand time and again? Have the railway authorities ever paid any attention to his plight, other than suspending or transferring him?
According to the recommendations of several safety committees, LPs should not be asked to work more than two nights in a row; however, railway officials completely ignore these recommendations and force LPs and ALPs to work more than two nights in a row. This deprives them of necessary rest and, as has happened before, can lead to accidents.
There are some very serious examples of their inhuman behavior towards loco-pilots. As a result of which people lost their lives.
The LP of the goods train involved in the Kanchenjunga accident had already done three nights of duty in a row and while he was resting on the fourth night, he was suddenly awakened at 2 a.m. and asked to take charge of a freight train. He resisted but finally arrived at 6:30 a.m. to drive.
On 3 June 2024 at Ambala in Punjab, both the LP and ALP of a goods train experienced a mild bout of sleep (‘ microsleep’ ), causing their train to collide with another freight train. This LP was working his fourth consecutive night shift, having already been forced to work 12 night shifts that month.
In one case, an LP in Lucknow was denied medical leave. He even pulled down his pants to show officers his surgery for his still-unhealed piles, along with medication and bandages. Instead of granting leave, the LP was suspended from duty for bringing the matter to the media. The officer reversed his decision when his friends joined together and protested strongly.
All these incidents mentioned above raise serious questions on the role of the government and the administration of Indian Railways.
One such question is, if the government has the right to collect taxes from all its citizens through direct and indirect means, then isn’t it its duty to also provide safe and comfortable rail travel facilities?
Second, if this government is “of the people” and “for the people”, why are the voices of railway employees and the general public not heard, despite their numerous mass protests? What kind of democracy is this?
Third, when it comes to privatizing the railways, the government acts with lightning speed but why does it become deaf when it comes to railway employees and the general public? Whose interests is the government really serving ?
The loco pilots’ struggle is a struggle of all working people and railway employees. We must all strengthen our unity and fight together. It has been proven time and again that only collective struggle has brought relief to the people. Therefore, we must all rise above all differences and unite.