Hyderabad: Analysts for filling vacancies in railways sans further delay

Hyderabad: The recent Odisha train tragedy has shed light on critical issues surrounding rail safety, signal systems, and manpower shortages within the Indian railways, including the South-Central Railway (SCR) zone. With approximately 20,000 vacant positions across various fields in the SCR, concerns have been raised about the outsourcing and contract-based systems in crucial safety-related activities. Railway analysts strongly urge the immediate filling of these vacancies to ensure the efficient and reliable functioning of the railway system.

Sources reveal that Indian Railways currently has over 3.12 lakh non-gazetted posts vacant nationwide, with a significant concentration in the signal and telecommunications as well as traffic transportation departments. Within the SCR zone, vital positions such as ticket collectors, station masters, locomotive pilots, track maintainers, and technical staff remain unfilled. This severe shortage of personnel in key operational departments poses significant challenges to the smooth operations of the South-Central Railways.

Notably, Shivakumar, a retired railway employee and railway analyst, highlights the need for simultaneous capacity expansion, maintenance, and safety measures. He emphasises the importance of filling technical positions and providing proper training to new recruits in alignment with the railways’ growth plans.

However, concerns are raised about the increasing trend of privatisation, which compromises the quality of work. Critics argue that the government should prioritise the creation of safety-related posts rather than privatising railway operations. The existing employees face tremendous work pressure, with locomotive pilots, track maintainers, and other technical workers being forced to work excessively long hours due to the shortage of staff. The privatisation approach lacks accountability and focuses solely on profit maximisation.

An anonymous staff member expresses the struggles caused by the lack of workforce, working even on days off, and emphasises the urgent need to fill the vacant positions. A retired railway officer underscores the vital role played by SCR in transporting passengers and goods across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The shortage of staff not only hampers services but also raises concerns about the potential recurrence of incidents similar to the one in Odisha if immediate action is not taken to fill the vacancies.