Long service of officials leading to irregularities in railway station

Srikakulam: Long stay of station level officers is alleged to have resulted in irregularities while divisional level officers of the railway turned blind eye. At Srikakulam Road (Amadalavalasa) railway station two executive officials have been working for a long time, one is more than nine years who is a local person and another has been here for more than 20 years, who is non local, which is said to be in violation of standard rules. Sources said executive level officers need to transfer from one place to another place to prevent anomalies

The executive level officers have supervisory powers over the station affairs like maintenance of stalls on platforms, parking places, loading and unloading of various items with goods trains. These are the areas where anomalies have occurred.

Due to long service the executive cadre officials reportedly developed intimacy with local traders and contractors and possibilities are more to collude with them and it is causing loss to the railway department and damaging the reputation of the department among people.

For loading or unloading of various items on goods trains, five to seven hours time is stipulated. If the loading and unloading is not completed within the time penalty amount will be imposed on the concerned persons. To adjust the time, the executive level officers started bargaining with the traders.

This is said to be rampant at Srikakulam Road (Amadalavalasa) railway station. “Every time we are paying bribes to the station officials for adjustment of time to loading and unloading of goods,” said a trader who wished to remain anonymous.

Contractors of parking places and stalls traders are also paying bribes to the executive officials otherwise they will not be able to carry out their business peacefully. Railway vigilance wing and divisional level officials at Visakhapatnam remained as silent spectators even though a number of complaints registered with them on the illegal earning at Srikakulam Road (Amadalavalasa) railway station.