Letter ragarding mismanagement- sent by Div Secretary AILRSA

To,

The General Manager

South Western Railway

Hubli

Date:27.05.2014

Bangalore

Respected sir

Sub:- negligence and mismanagement -  at the time of adversity to staff who is on duty – reg

          At the outset this association is at great pain and at a loss to understand the attitude of the administration in the hour of crisis and in the hour of need of its most vital workforce and strongly protests against such attitude.

          Following few lines are for your kind perusal and needful action.

          On 23.05.2014 at about 23.45 hrs Shri.U. Rajashekar,Loco Pilot Goods/SGT, while working Train No. HOM-Container fell unconscious at Loco in Bangarpet Station limit. The ALP of the train Shri. Sulthan Pasha informed through walkie-talkie to the SM/BWT and to the Guard of HOM-Container that his Loco Pilot has fallen down in the loco unconscious.

          The Guard and other station staff rushed to the spot and the loco pilot was shifted to Government Hospital Bangarpet since there is no Railway Doctor available at BWT during night.

          The Doctor at Government hospital Bangarpet after examining Shri. U.Rajashekar and giving him first aid asked the people who had accompanied him to rush him to some other hospital and that Devaraj Urs Medical College was the nearest, since he did not have at his disposal the necessary equipment and other medical facilities to give him further treatment.

          From Government Hospital Bangarpet Shri.U.Rajashekar was shifted to Devaraj Urs Medical College at Kolar which is about 18 kms from Bangarpet.

          At Devaraj Urs Medical College Hospital the hospital authorities have demanded payment towards the treatment and for C.T Scan and other tests from the patient itself.

          But for some good hearts and little money that the patient had with him he would not have got the necessary medical attention and might have been left unattended until he paid for the medical attention.

          The situation was so pathetic that he had to pay even for a syringe for injecting saline and other medicine through drips even though he requested to the hospital authorities that he will pay money once it is drawn from the ATM for which he had deputed his ALP.

          The incident regarding the ill health of Shir. U.Rajashekar who complained of nausea and had vomited twice while passing DKN Station was informed by the ALP of his train to the Guard of the train who immediately passed on the message to the control office at SBC who recorded the message and did nothing to ease the situation or arrange for some type of medical aid at BWT though they had some 30 minutes at their disposal.

          After again when the Loco Pilot fell unconscious at BWT, the ALP of the train contacted the SM/BWT and The Guard of train No. HOM- Container through walkie-talkie who immediately conveyed it to Control Office at SBC.

          Inspite of the information at hand no tangible and substantial help was forthcoming from the administration except for a Health Inspector Shri.Mohamed Rafiq who was deputed officially who came to the hospital only to witness the suffering of Shri.U. Rajashekar but did not bring the necessary amount required for further treatment.

          When the Health Inspector was asked he said that ‘he has not got the power to draw money from the station collection and there was no order to this effect either from commercial control or from other officers with respect to this incident’.

          The sad part is that no Loco Inspector was deputed / reached the hospital thought there are many trains both mail/express/ goods to reach BWT round the clock until by 10.30hrs of 24.05.2014 one Shri. A.Charles CLI/SBC arrived to the hospital along with the family members of Shri. U.Rajashekar.( where as in other incidence such as SPAD  or accident LI’s arrive to the spot from nowhere!!)

          Though the CLI/SBC was deputed officially he too did not get the money required to be paid at the hospital for treating Shri. U.Rajashekar and stood only as a lame duck and a eye witness to the incident that unfolded in front of his eyes.

          By now it was evening and after lot of confusion to the patient and his family members it was decided to shift the patient to Railway hospital Bangalore City. The patient was asked to pay for the Ambulance which he did and was shifted to Railway Hospital- SBC.

          When other staff and colleagues of  Shri.U.Rajashekar contacted  Deputy CMS Dr.C.M.Ravi he said that ‘let the patient pay for the treatment he shall be given 100% reimbursement’. We strongly protest against the attitude of the respected Deputy CMS.

          Instead of arranging a Railway Doctor to monitor the case or through PRO/SBC contact the hospital authorities at Kolar and assure them that all payment will be done by Railways and ask them to provide best medical care to the employee, left the employee and his family in the lurch.

          Sir, from the above it is clear that the administration has let down its employee who was on duty and fell ill.

          From the recent incidents that have taken place in this division over the last few months there seems to be a decisive plan in the minds of the administration to progressively eliminate the running staff one by one as such when a SPAD case occurs the employee is summarily given Compulsory Retirement and when he falls ill or incapacitated while on duty Railway administration asks the employee to bear the expenses by himself or else die while on - duty all this in the name of rule.

          On 26.05.2014 when the delegates of AILRSA – SBC Division met the respected DRM/SBC he categorically denied an audience with our delegates and never had the courtesy to hear our grievance though we had asked an audience with him in connection with this serious issue.

          However this is the not the first case in which he has denied an audience with the representatives of AILRSA giving reasons that we were only a cadre union and not recognized by the secret ballot.

          Such an attitude of the respected DRM/SBC has caused heavy resentment towards administration in general and towards him in particular that smooth industrial relations have strained and may force the employees to redress the same through direct action.

          We at AILRSA strongly condemn and protest this attitude of our respected DRM/SBC.

          This association requests all concerned to introspect into the incident and put humanity first then all other rhetoric of power and policy behind, ultimately this incident can happen to any one of us as we are all after all Human Beings who are interdependent with one another and not independent men who are immune to all acts of ALMIGHTY.

          Hence let God forbid that this may be the last of such inhumane and mis- managed event in Railways and request all concerned to do the needful to reassure and reboot and motivate all running staff and his family who have sacrificed all through out his service that the railway administration shall carry him safely in his hour of crisis and in the hour of need at least while on duty.

Thanking you

Yours comradely

(Divisional Secretary)

c.c

DRM/SBC

ADRM/SBC

Sr.DPO/SBC

CMS/SBC

Sr.DME/SBC

Sr.DOM/SBC