Railway ministry takes fresh look into Board appointment rules
Written by Avishek G Dastidar
| New Delhi | February 6, 2014
Under pressure from the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister’s Office,
the Railway ministry has started reviewing anomalies in high-level
appointments which has been the subject of a CBI probe and has been
earning criticism.
A meeting of the Railway Board was held on Wednesday and it was learnt the ministry might get rid of the rule that bars general managers of production units from becoming Railway Board members and chairpersons.
The norms drawn up in 1987 had minor amendments in subsequent years but were never thoroughly reviewed. Railway Board Members enjoy the rank of Secretary to Government of India while the Chairman has a rank equivalent to Principal Secretary. A general manager is in the rank of Additional Secretary.
Posts of members excluding Financial Commissioner can be filled by general managers of the zonal railways, known as ‘open-line GMs’. This ends career prospects of general managers of production units. A non-open-line GM from the Accounts cadre can be considered only for Financial Commissioner (also a member).
On taking charge as Railway Minister last year, Mallikarjun Kharge had raised this issue. It has been questioned by forums like Railways’ own Group-A officers’ association in the past.
Historically, officers due to be GMs have lobbied for open-line GM posts to remain in the race. The Cabinet Secretariat received representations from officers who objected to this rule. A few years ago, former GM of Rail Wheel Factory, Bangalore, Rajeev Bhargava missed a chance to be Chairman Railway Board because he was not an open-line GM.
The justification is that as head of zonal railway, an officer is exposed to larger train operations, a qualification the head of a production unit does not have. But sources said under pressure from PMO and ACC, this line of thought is being questioned and is in the process of being amended.
The argument is that a couple of years in production unit do not rob a career railway bureaucrat of qualifications to oversee operations, something the present political dispensation finds logical.
A meeting of the Railway Board was held on Wednesday and it was learnt the ministry might get rid of the rule that bars general managers of production units from becoming Railway Board members and chairpersons.
The norms drawn up in 1987 had minor amendments in subsequent years but were never thoroughly reviewed. Railway Board Members enjoy the rank of Secretary to Government of India while the Chairman has a rank equivalent to Principal Secretary. A general manager is in the rank of Additional Secretary.
Posts of members excluding Financial Commissioner can be filled by general managers of the zonal railways, known as ‘open-line GMs’. This ends career prospects of general managers of production units. A non-open-line GM from the Accounts cadre can be considered only for Financial Commissioner (also a member).
On taking charge as Railway Minister last year, Mallikarjun Kharge had raised this issue. It has been questioned by forums like Railways’ own Group-A officers’ association in the past.
Historically, officers due to be GMs have lobbied for open-line GM posts to remain in the race. The Cabinet Secretariat received representations from officers who objected to this rule. A few years ago, former GM of Rail Wheel Factory, Bangalore, Rajeev Bhargava missed a chance to be Chairman Railway Board because he was not an open-line GM.
The justification is that as head of zonal railway, an officer is exposed to larger train operations, a qualification the head of a production unit does not have. But sources said under pressure from PMO and ACC, this line of thought is being questioned and is in the process of being amended.
The argument is that a couple of years in production unit do not rob a career railway bureaucrat of qualifications to oversee operations, something the present political dispensation finds logical.
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