Railgate

Rail officer wanted board post, GM job

DC | Manish Anand | 06th May 2013

New Delhi: In an indication that the bribe scam involving suspended Railway Board member (staff) Mahesh Kumar and railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla is just the tip of an iceberg pointing to deep-rooted corruption in the Indian Railways, it has emerged that the tainted officer was lobbying hard to retain his position as general manager of Western Railway till he was elevated to the lucrative post of member (electrical) of the board.
Mahesh Kumar, now in CBI custody over a cash-for-promotion scam, was apparently dissatisfied with his promotion to the Railway Board. “The post of member (staff) is not lucrative enough compared to the electrical, mechanical and en-gineering posts.
For Mahesh Kumar, his stint as GM, Western Railway, was more lucrative than that of member (staff). So he was lobbying hard for a dual role — member (staff) in the board and GM (Western Railway) — till he could get the post of member (electrical),” a source in the board said.
Incidentally, Western Railway, with its headquarters in Mumbai, is reckoned as one of the richest among the 17 zonal railways. “It is very likely that the deal Mahesh Kumar struck with the minister’s nephew also involved him retaining the post of GM (western zone),” a source added.