Zonal head writes to Rail Min to fill up VACANT BOARD Posts

NEW DELHI: In an unusual move, the South Western Railways General Manager AK Gupta has written a strong letter to Rail Minister Piyush Goyal over ‘intentional’ delay in filing up Member Rolling Stock post, which is lying vacant since August 1, 2018.

At present, several important posts are lying vacant for months at the top level ranging from General Managers to Additional Members to Board Member in Indian Railways for the past several months.

The letter has highlighted that the top level vacancy is an “administrative deficiency affecting important decisions and follow up of policy decisions besides causing injustice to those in line for elevation”.

“More than one and half months have passed and this senior-level post continues to remain vacant,” Gupta said in his letter to the minister. He further added that the delay in the posting of MRS is affecting grant of apex grade to him as he is superannuating on September 30 this year.

Besides, the post of Member Rolling Stock, the post of General Manager (GM) North Central Railway is also lying vacant since August 1; GM Western Central Railway since July 1; GM South Eastern Railway since July 20; GM Rail Wheel Factory since July 14 and Director General of National Academy of Indian Railways since June 1 this year.

Interestingly, the post of Managing Director of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. (DFCCIL), an ambitious project of Rail Ministry started to ease out traffic of passenger trains, has been filled after a gap of over a year.

On the development, experts have opined that the delay in appointing top-level officials indicate ‘policy paralysis’ in Indian Railways as decisions regarding postings are being taken and processed a few months in advance and orders get issued prior to any forthcoming vacancy.