Railway to loco pilots’ wives: Keep husbands happy

Kumod Verma| TNN | Updated: Feb 21, 2017, 

(Representative image)

PATNA: Unhappy marriages are also a reason for the train accidents caused by carelessness of loco pilots. This was the message conveyed to spouses of loco pilots at a first-of-its-kind session organised for them at the Danapur DRM's office on Sunday.

They were also counselled to ensure tension-free atmosphere at home so that loco pilots did not stress themselves about home-related worries while on duty inside locomotives.

The 50-odd participants were shown a video on the rigorous life of a loco pilot away from home. "The movie underlined the need for a loco pilot to be in a proper frame of mind as he is kind of the in-charge of the lives of hundreds of passengers on board his train," a railway official said, adding a happy marriage guarantees peace of mind which, in turn, adds to mental alertness of spouses.

DRM R K Jha told TOI the women, who also shared their household issues with the safety officials, were told about the need for the loco pilots to take proper rest when they are home after hectic duty hours.

"Most of the loco pilots' wives are educated women... It was not difficult to make them understand that their husbands have to work for long hours, even after the sundown. They, therefore, need to be properly taken care of while at home," divisional safety officer B P Mandal said.

Ranjana Devi and Snehlata admitted the video film was highly educative and threw light on the greater responsibility of loco pilots. They said they knew a railways' circular did not allow their husbands to have spicy food while on duty.

Soni Devi and Puja Kumari, however, regretted that the railways' running room at Fatuha lacked proper facilities for loco pilots. "There is no cooking facility," said one of them.

According to Jha, the safety interaction meeting with loco pilots' wives is being organised across the country at the directive of railway minister Suresh Prabhu.