As rlys goes to people, top officials go overseas

May 22 2015 : The Times of India (Pune)

As rlys goes to people, top officials go overseas

Mahendra Singh

New Delhi:





The railway board doesn't believe in leading by example. At a time when railway officials will travel across the country to inspect stations, supervise cleanliness and interact with passengers on the eve of the BJP government's first anniversary , four members, including the railway board chairman, will be on foreign tours. Even though it was a scheduled engagement, the absence of four senior railway officials from the muchtouted anniversary celebrations has raised eyebrows.
Railways has decided to mark the event with a 15-day drive. It has planned to send 80 senior officers to inspect stations and interact with passengers, among other activities.
As per the tour schedule, a copy of which is with TOI, railway board chairman A K Mittal, financial commissioner Rajlakshmi Ravikumar, member (electrical) Navin Tandon and member (staff) Pradeep Kumar will not be in the country on May 26 when the national transporter launches `consumer facilitation fortnight' to celebrate one year of the Modi government.
Mittal, Tandon and Ravikumar will leave the country on May 22 and will be back on May 31. Pradeep Ku mar will be on an official foreign tour from May 21 to May 30.
Arailway official defended their absence by arguing that they were going on official duty and would be back to join the 15-day initiative.
As per the programme, all additional members, advisers and executive directors of the railway board have been assigned a station each. Officers will identify and launch 100 new projects, checking tickets and will travel in trains. All general managers of zonal railways and divisional railway managers have been asked to actively participate in the drive.
As part of Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, railways launched a similar exercise on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 last year, when a large number of officers from Delhi were asked to visit remote railways stations to oversee cleanliness drive.