AILRSA Hubli Divisional BGM Resolutions

ALL INDIA LOCO RUNNING STAFF ASSOCIATION

HQ ADRA                                   Reg. No. 17903                                                       AFF to AIREC

                                             HUBLI DIVISION,

                       SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY ZONE.

AILRSA Office, Hubli, Plot No:41, Azad Park, Gadag Road, Hubli 580020,                 ailrsaubl@gmail.com

PRESIDENT                                    SECRETARY                                    TREASURER

S.Sargunanathan                               K.Thirumalachari                                 Sunil.M

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                                    Ref No: AILRSA/UBL/DIV/GEN/02/2014 dated 15/03/2014

To,

The Divisional Railway Manager,

Hubli division/SWR

Respected sir,

Sub:  Divisional Conference - Memorandum

All India Loco Running Staff Association of Hubli division organized it’s divisional biennial general body (BGM) meeting on 09/03/14 at Prakash restaurant, Hubli. The open session was inaugurated by Sri Balaramaiah, zonal vice president, SCRly. Sri Sargunanathan.S gave the welcome speech and was presided by Sri K. Thirumalachari. The following comrades addressed the gathering.

1.     Sri G.N.Shaw, Divisional secretary, AILRSA/GTL

2.     Sri S.Gangadharan, Divisional president, AILRSA/GTL

3.     Sri Geomy George, Ex.Zonal secretary, AILRSA,SRly

4.     Sri B.I.Illegar, District president, CITU

5.     Sri C.Sunish, General secretary, AILRSA,SWR

The divisional conference discussed the problems of running staff prevailing in Hubli division and elected the following members as new office bearers.

1.     President                        :         Sri S.Sargunanathan, LP/Goods/Hubli

2.     Vice President                :         Sri Joshil C.K, Crew controller/Hubli

Sri Dhananjay Kumar, Sr ALP/Hubli

3.     Secretary                        :         Sri K.Thirumalachary, LP/Mail/Exp/Hubli

4.     Joint secretary                 :         Sri Bijoy Varghese, LP/Goods/Castlerock

Sri C.H.Govind Rao, Crew controller/Hospet

5.     Organizing secretary       :         Sri Priyesh.N.V, Sr ALP/Hubli

Sri Rajesh.K, Sr LP/Goods/Castlerock

6.     Treasurer                       :         Sri Sunil.M, LP/Goods/Hubli

AILRSA, based on the discussion held over the issues and grievances of the running staff hereby, would like to put up to your good office, the following burning problems prevailing in Hubli division for an early and constructive redressal.

During the last six decades there have been tremendous changes in the working of the Railways due to modernization of rolling stock, sophistication of signaling system, tracks, increase in trailing loads, introduction of high speed trains, longer run at a stretch for 3/4 hours or more, undivided attention, minute-to-minute alertness, as a result of which, duties and responsibilities of Loco Running Staff has been increased by leaps and bounds. Safe running of trains, maintaining punctuality have become the corner stone of the Railways’ working. And it is quite obvious that to attain this, running staff should be stress free, physically and mentally strong, which in turn emphasis on the need of cultivating a safe and hassle free working environment.

Unfortunately, today we had a sad story of running staff to tell about; over burdened, restless, low in morale, highly stressed, high rate of absenteeism mainly due to the contemptible approach of the railway administration towards them. It is a fact that Railway Board has given stringent guidelines in the matter of safety; especially the SPAD committee recommendations, but the divisional authorities of Hubli division had failed to implement the above guidelines in force due to which safe  running of the trains  in the division has become a matter of question, for which AILRSA express our extreme concerns and request your good office to take sincere initiations to implement the Railway Board’s safety guidelines immediately and to redress the grave issues associated with them.

1.   Conflicting signaling systems employed at UBL division contributing to “SPAD”

The recent change in the signaling system between UBL – GTL section in conflict with the existing fundamental concepts of distant signal aspect ingrained in the minds of loco pilots had created doubts and confusion among the running staff. Particularly, for a crew working a train between UBL to BJP has to negotiate two types of signaling systems regularly. This is the case with the goods crew working crack spls also. The present changed sequencing of signals in the newly employed signaling system also puts loco pilots in dilemma. For ex: wherever inner home provided with routing to byepass and routing home signals for station are in place, when the distant signal is showing attention aspect it is not indicating directly whether the train is being received on byepass line or main line and due to confusion, a Locopilot (pass/mailexp) after passing the distant signal with attention aspect coming with restricted speed, due to uncertainty and lack of proper visibility of the routing signal, is mentally prepared to pass the Inner Home, if “taken off” for the diversion, all chance of shooting the signal exists. At NVU station trains are being stopped at Inner Home even when the distant signal is given proceed aspect, which is very much contrary to the General Rules itself. At HPT station all starter signals are provided with directional type route indicators which in turn are being taken off for main line dispatch also, which is against the “SR”. At GDG station, employing two mainline concepts towards UBL direction, starter signals are provided with directional type route indicators. This posts immense confusion for the loco pilots as the route indication changes with the change in main line also. Provision of Stencil type route indicators instead of directional type will avoid such unwanted confusion. From the running staff’s point of view, a loco pilot, during his entire stretch of duty encountering such variants in signaling makes him vulnerable to mistakes.

Notwithstanding, signals are placed at curves without considering the adequate sighting distance, poorly maintained, covered with dust making it difficult to pick up it’s aspects early. The kilometer boards placed are not raised sufficiently from the ground, not illuminated properly, and often hindered by the ballast and bushes. Most of the temporary caution spots are not protected with engineering indicators. Loop line termination boards are not provided in UBL division. Providing permanent speed indicators below the respective caution indicators will improve the alertness and judgment of locopilots in controlling the train more efficiently. AILRSA urges your good office to instruct the signaling committee to play a pro-active role in identifying the above mentioned discrepancies and resolving it.

2.   Call for judicious cadre review of running staff:

Duty hours of the crew is stretching beyond limits in Hubli division violating all the safety norms prescribed by the Railway board. It is adversely affecting their health, ultimately results in accidents. The annual cadre review of loco running staff is not matching with the real time demand in Goods/Passenger/Mail/Express services. Augmented no of officiating crew on higher grades are the direct impact and the consequences are insufficient rest, lapsing of LR currency over different sections, frequent out of turn crew bookings at HQ and outstations, staff not getting sufficient leaves etc., Express links are made in such a way that a loco pilot will be getting a train in a particular section only once in a month making LP’s to skip off certain SOB stoppages for certain trains. AILRSA urges the administration to consider all these factors in performing the cadre review giving ample provision of leave reserve and trainee reserve posts.

3.   Sub-standard quality of food and drinking water at running rooms:

Most of the water purifiers installed at running rooms are not working satisfactorily due to lack of proper service and maintenance, forcing the inmates to consume contaminated, impure water making them sick very often and cultivating other health disorders. Umpteen complaints and representations had been already served by this association regarding this and the sub standard food being served at running rooms as being brought out by the inmates, especially at BJP running room, but no action had been taken so far. Adding salt to injury, contracts are being renewed to the same accused contractor which makes enough reasons to smell some foul trades being going on behind the scene. The contract renewal of the BJP running room is getting delayed indefinitely since Oct 2013. It is known that the existing contracts of certain other running rooms are also about to expire within days and the procedures for renewal of the contracts is yet to be commenced.

4.   Sanctioning of Periodical Rest.

Railway administration had always found pleasure in toying with the periodical rest rule of the running staff. It looks funny, as the same administration which propagates the safety habit of “Take proper rest before coming for duty” relentlessly tries to curtail the eligible rest itself. The Railways had classified the running staff as “continuous” category. Again and again it is reiterated that all the rules which governs the staff falling in continuous category is applicable for the running staff also. Continuous category staff  are eligible for one 30 hr PR after 6^th day. Their duty roster should have a definite PR day.[para 195 of Rajyadhyaksha award committee report] For running staff it may not be possible to fix the day due to their nature of duty. In the same report para 284 clearly defines periodical rest for running staff. It accepts that PR for running staff cannot be roistered like other staff, i.e, it may not be possible to give PR exactly after the 6^th day. Therefore the committee gave an advantage to running staff by stating that “Having regard to the nature of their employment, the rules on the subject have to provide a measure of elasticity”. The word “elasticity” on this context clearly intends that PR for the running staff can be granted at any time, i.e, PR can be granted even before the 6^th day due to the uncertainty of availability of running staff at their headquarter exactly at the 6^th day. [Judiciously we can conclude it as four 30hrs PR at any time in a month]. A judicial review over these lines will make it clear that 4 30 hrs PR in month is the right of a running staff. Unlike some of our over enthusiastic officials, who had recently invented, a PR is not an earned rest, rather it is a part of universally accepted weekly rest for the employees worldwide. Any violation in this regard can be amounted to the violation of HOER.

Hence, this association request your kind intervention into the matter with a broader perspective and to give necessary instructions to all Crew Controllers to mark the eligible PR and ensure that four 30 hrs PR in a month are granted for all the running staffs of Hubli Division.

This association also urges the administration, as upheld by the Dharwad High court (Case No WP 66707/2010) against the railway’s appeal,  to implement the RLC’s judgement of 30 + 16 hrs periodical rest immediately.

5.   Empowering the depot official in sanctioning leaves:

This organization would like to put into your kind notice that majority of the running staff of UBL division hails from outside Karnataka and consumes almost 3 to 4 days for journey itself while proceeding to their native place on leave. Unlike the local employees, this unique characteristic of UBL division demands at least 10 to 15 days of leave requirement for the out of state running staff, to spend at least a week at their native place and with their family members. Till date CCC/UBL, who understands them better, used to sanction their leaves upto the limit of 15 days from his office itself. Unfortunately it is understood that CCC/UBL had been deprived of the leave sanctioning power extending more than 04 days. Being running staff and the nature of their work itself makes it harder and disturbing in getting their eligible leaves of even small duration also granted from higher officials. This association urges to empower the depot official in charge himself to sanction enough number of leaves/NH judiciously, working under him.

6.   Reducing the out station detention (OSD) of the crew to 36 hrs:

Even though Railway board has given strict guidelines to reduce the OSD of the crew to 36hrs vide letter No.E(LL) 2009/HER/1 RBE No.37/2010 Dated 26.02.2010, the mechanical branch of Hubli division has shown a deaf ear towards it. Due to this serious lapse the OSD of the majority of goods crew exceeds beyond 72hrs owing to which the running staff are restless and their social life are affected badly.

7.   Night rest after 2/3 night duties:

Though Railway board has given clear instructions to provide night rest for running staff after performing 2/3 night duties, it has still being kept in paper by the divisional authorities. It is a fact that many accidents in hubli division would have been averted if the divisional authorities have shown some interest in following railway board’s guidelines in this matter.

8.   Resuming/Reporting for duty should be made at 06.00hrs:

As suggested by the SPAD committee, crew which reports after/ leave/sickness/training should be booked after 6 hrs instead of odd hours, thus applying little sense of relevance.

9.   Declaring TNGL – GTL section as handicapped:

Declaring the TNGL – GTL section as handicapped is a long pending demand from this organization and the HPT crew working in this section are losing their average mileage daily. It is a well known fact that kilometer mileage constitutes a part of the running staff’s basic salary itself and depriving the minimum national average mileage for the HPT crew in lieu of administration’s complacency amounts to the denial of natural justice. This association strongly protests against the disdain attitude of the administration in this regard and urges to issue the orders for the same along with the payment of arrears of the mileage lost over these years.

10.                Preposterous  treatment meted out to running staff at the Railway Hospital:

If at all a running staff becomes sick and reports at railway hospital with sick memo, the attitude of Medical Officer towards them makes one to believe that they are not human beings but “robots”. In their opinion “a running staff cannot become sick” or if at all he is sick he cannot be kept in sick list. AILRSA vehemently protests against this preposterous attitude of medical authorities to running staff and request you to resolve this issue in true spirit.

AILRSA humbly request your good office to intervene into the above matters seriously and resolves it in a constructive manner at the earliest.

                                                                                            Yours faithfully                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

19.03.14                                                                           K.Thirumal Achari

Hubli.                                                                              (Divisional Secretary)

                                                                                           Mob: 9731668485                           

Copy to:     1. Commissioner of Railway Safety/SBC 2. Chief Mechanical Engineer/SWR 3. Chief Operational Manager/SWR 4. Chief Safety Officer/SWR 5. Sr. Divisional Safety Officer/UBL/SWR6. Sr. Divisional Mechanical Engineer/P/UBL/SWR