Dt. 04-04-2019

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO SHRI VINOD KUMAR YADAVJI, CHAIRMAN RAILWAY BOARD ON HIS VISIT TO SOUTH CENTRAL RAILWAY, SECUNDERABAD ON 04-04-2019

Respected Sir,

We extend our hearty welcome to your kindself to South Central Railway, Secunderabad on your visit South Central Railway

Under your stewardship, as the General Manager, S.C.Railway, lot of planning was done for improvement of the S.C.Railway system, which has yielded good results and the S.C.Railway stood as one of the best Zonal Railways on Indian Railways.

We would like to take privilege to place the following issues for your kind and favourable consideration and orders.

1. FINALISATION OF KILOMETREAGE ALLOWANCE (KMA) RATES TO RUNNING STAFF

Consequent on Cabinet decision Railway Ministry was empowered to finalise the KMA rates in consultation with the Recognised Federations and approval of Ministry of Finance for finalization of KMA rates in favour of Running Staff. You are aware, that, the rates of Allowances for all the Central Government employees including Railwaymen have been revised w.e.f.1-7-2017 but there is inordinate delay in to finalise the KMA rate in favour of Running Staff of Indian Railways due to various reasons. The Full Board’s approval has been obtained and approval of Hon’ble Minister of Railways has also been obtained and the proposal was sent to MOF and the same is pending for their approval..

Your kind self is requested to take immediate action by discussing with the Secretary(Expenditure) in the matter and secure necessary approval and see that the KMA is paid to the Running Staff w.e.f.1-7-2017.

2. SANCTION OF FOUR GRADE STRUCTURE FOR THE CATEGORY OF POINTSMEN.

Pointsmen category is one of the important safety category in Indian Railways, which has to perform heavy duties like coupling of bogies and wagons, pad locking and piloting trains when occurrence of signal failures etc.etc.

Such an important category was deprived of granting 4-Grade Structure and were granted only 2-Grade structure and the promotional Avenue for this category is very poor.

When such situation arose in the case of Trackmen Category, the Board have constituted a Committee involving the recognized Federations and the Committee has recommended for granting of 4-Grade Structure to the Trackmen Category i.e. Trackmen-I to Trackmen-IV and other facilities. In the similar manner, the Pointsmen category also deserves to have 4-Grade structure and other facilities..

Your kind self is requested to take necessary immediate action to constitute a Committee to committee involving recognized Federations and the Pointsmen category may also be granted 4-Grade Structure and other facilities as was done in the case of Trackmen Category.

3. SPECIAL PAY.

While thanking the VII CPC as also the Railway Board for granting the Special Allowance (Risk and Hardship Allowance) for various categories such as Trackmen etc. we would like to submit, that, there are many more important categories which have not been identified for grant of Risk and Hardship Allowance, to say a few:

1. Staff working\ in TT Machine Organisation.
2. OHE organization.
3. Signal & Telecom. Engineering Organisation
4. Artisan Category in P.Way, Bridge Organisation etc.

There are many number of staff working in the above departments are performing their duties by walking on the track day and night irrespective of climate, which involves risk and hardship. It is unfortunate, that, the above categories were omitted while granting Special Allowance.

Your kind self is requested to see that the Risk and Hardship Allowance is paid to the staff working in the above departments also to avoid heart burn among the staff.

4. APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL YOUTH THROUGH R.R.C. IN ERSTWHILE GROIUP’D’ CATEGORY POSTS.

Earlier there was a scope for appointment of Local Youth as Casual Labour in Group’D’ categories in the Railway system and the same was wiped off after decasualization. Now the local youth are applying for appointment in Railways in erstwhile Group’D’ posts through a global notification of RRCs in which large number of candidates appeared for the selection from the other states are getting selected. On getting selected, the candidates are applying for Inter Railway Request Transfers to their native places which are situated in the other Railways, which is causing lot of inconvenience to the Zonal Railways in relieving them to other Railways.

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Your kind self is requested to take necessary immediate action for appointment of local youth through RRCs of respective zones/states in erstwhile Group’D’ posts to avoid inconvenience to the Railway Administration.

5. AIR CONDITIONING OF T.T.Es REST ROOMS AND SUBORDINATE REST HOUSES

Railway Board has issued orders for provision of Air-Condition facility for TTEs Rest Rooms and other facilities on par with the Running Rooms. It is unfortunate, that, no action is forthcoming in the Zonal Railways.

The Union feels that Subordinate Rest Houses are also very important and they also need to be provided air-condition and other facilities on par with Running Rooms.

Your kind self is requested to issue necessary orders in this regard.

6. PROVISION EMPLOYEMENT ON INDIAN RAILWAYS TO THE COURSE COMPLETED ACT APPRENTICES
The Railway Board have agreed to reserve 20% of the DR quota Group’D’ posts for Group’D’ recruitment of Course Completed Act Apprentices, who did their Apprenticeship in Railway establishments. Further, the Board have also agreed to conduct a separate examination the Course Completed Act Apprentices for absorbing them in Railways against the 20% posts earmarked for Direct Recruitment.
While thanking the Board, for the above decision, the Union requests your kind self to issue necessary instructions to the concerned authorities for absorption of Course Completed Act Apprentices on Indian Railways, without conducting any written examination and PET, as their selection for training is on merit basis as per marks.

7. ABSORPTION OF QUASI-ADMINISTRTIVE STAFF IN RAILWAYS

The issue of absorption of quasi-administrative staff on Railways, is agitating the minds of thousands of staff working in Railway Institutes, Recognized Trade Unions, Railway Clubs etc. Even though the Board has been promising to settle the issue favourably, no orders are forthcoming.

The Union requests your kind self to take necessary favourable action for absorption of all the quasi-administrative staff on Indian Railways with immediate effect.

8. PROVISION OF RENT FREE ACCOMMODATION FOR RECOGNISED UNIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS INCLUDING WOMEN’S WELFARE ORGANISATIONS.

At present accommodation is being provided for the Recognised Unions by levying Rent, Electrical and Water charges.

In this connection, this is to submit, that, Trade Unions are functioning for the welfare of employees and they are not profit oriented.

The Union requests your kind self to issue necessary instructions to provide rent free accommodation to the Recognised Unions and Associations only by collecting electrical charges duly waiving the water charges, as there will not be much water consumption in the Union offices.
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9. MODERNIZATION OF S&T WORKSHOP/MFT.

Railway Board Vide their letter No. 2008/SIG/PLAN/Vision, dated 21-7-2010, issued guidelines for modernization the Workshop in two phases. Not much of progress has been made on the above subject. The Union would like to suggest to take manufacturing of following items in S&T/Workshop, which go a long way a not only improving the Workshop including the availability on Indian Railways.

a) Production of Point Machine:- Presently Podunur Workshop is manufacturing these machines but is unable to meet the demand for the same. It is therefore suggested that the above machines maybe manufactured at S&T Workshop, which can be done with least amount of training and infrastructure facilities.
b) Further S&T Workshop is capable of manufacturing double door GKP boxes Also there are some items, such as footsteps for the boogies etc. can also be allotted to S&T Workshop.

10. CREATION OF NEW ZONE (SCoR).

A new zone was created under the nomenclature of SCoR, reducing the existing S.C.Railway Zone from 6 to 3 Divisions. An OSD is also appointed to initiate the process.

While having its own reservations on the financial/Operational viability of the new zone and also impact of the above decision on the residual SCR Zone, this Union would like to request you to ensure that the process of separation, if inevitable, be conducted causing least discomfiture to the staff involved. In this direction it is suggested that options be extended to the staff to migrate from one zone to another, to ensure that minimum dislocation is caused to the staff and also that we end up having willing manpower, to work with.

11. SETTING UP OF A SUPER SPECIALITY HOSPITAL AT VIJAYAWADA.

Even though it was decided to Head Quartered the newly created SCoR at Vishakapatnam, Vijayawada happens to be the central location, with very high accessibility, to the staff of SCo Railway, as an when it becomes operational. Further BZA which is already a Divisional Head Quarters and also going to continue as such even under the new dispensation, and also due to the fact that a Divisional Hospital is already exists, this Union would like to request itself for setting of a Super speciality hospital on the lines of the one set up at Patna, which can serve all the Railway employees, if the need be, since BZA being a major junction has accessibility for people across India.

With kind regards,

Thanking you, Sir,
Yours faithfully,

(Ch.SANKARA RAO)
GENERAL SECRETARY