TEN REASONS WHY I WANT TO WORK IN RAILWAYS.

Indeed you have to be proud-you are working in an institution the world is wonde ring at. The gold heading for PLUTO, the onion touching sky and rice being on th e continuous rise for ever cannot be a reason to be TOO unhappy-the Sixth Pay Co mmission having rendered SOME justice to the Central Government Civil Servants. The logic above may not be holding good for every railway man. In our great IR we have posts where you are not on the heat from 0950 hours to 1750 but having b reaks to brake your idling (?). You have posts where you will be paid honorarium for doing YOUR OWN JOB BUT (YOU) DO IT RARELY OR ONCE IN A YEAR OR ONCE IN SIX MONTHS. Driven to craziness , one fine morning I made up my mind to go ahead wit h my long pending curiosity. I say long pending because being a AISMA clan we do anything that would do well for the fellow Railwaymen. But in the instant case I made up my mind because if someone is paid honorarium IT IS UNDER THE PROIVISI ONS OF IREM AND NOT THE TIPS BY ANY BABUS. So, well I made up my mind and submit ted a ten questionnaire under RTI. It was on 14.02.2008. Those ten information sought and The PIO provided the information vide PIO/SBC Lr.No.B/P.277/RTI/ CP/SBC dated 24.3.2008 as appended by the side as

1. The various departments, and branches and units working under the con trol of DRM/Bangalore (SBC) division of SWR. Transportation, Commercial , Mechanical, Engineering, Electrical, TRD, Medical, S&T, Personnel, Accounts, S tores and Gen.Administration. 2. 9371. 3. The total no. of railway servants who are drawing their payments thro ugh bank. 8077 4. The total number of Railway servants who were paid their bonus during October 2007 through bank . NIL 5. The total of railway servants who were paid their bonus during 2007 i n person through cashiers/Pay Clerks. 9631. 6. The total number of Cashiers/Pay Clerks utilized to make the bonus pa id during October 2007. 7 Cashiers. 7. The total amount paid as Honorarium to the Cashiers/Pay Clerks for th e entire bonus amount paid during October 2007. Rs. 36,750/8. Individual honorarium break up for each Cashier/Pay Clerk who made t he bonus during October 2007. Rs. 5250/9. The total number of railway servants working under DRM/SBD for whom the payment is paid through bearer cheque for not opening bank account to effect The total number of railway servants working under DRM/SBC.

their payment through bank. (This information was sought since there is a RB or der that if any railway servant is not opening bank account according to his cho ice his payment should be effected through bearer cheque.) No bearer cheque issued. 10. The names of the railway servants who were taken up under disciplinary proceedings for not opening bank account to facilitate payment through banks. I f the names cannot be provided the total number of railway servants who were tak en up under disciplinary proceedings for not opening bank account to facilitate payment through bank. (This information was sought since RB has issued guideline s that salary should be effected through bank and if any railway servant is not opening bank account he should be taken up under disciplinary proceedings) For item No.10, information is being collected from all the units and it will b e furnished in due course. It is obvious you are wondering the write up is no way connected to the title: T EN REASONS WHY I WORK IN RAILWAYS.

You may also contemplate whether I had pursued the matter at appropriate levels to recover the sum of Rs.36, 750/- from the salary of DRM/SBC for having caused loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs.36, 750. Or for having paid bonus to the cashiers for having effected bonus as the ultimate bonus to the cashiers was bo nus+ DRM bonus in the form of honorarium. Perhaps my curiosity was answered and I did not go any further. INFDEED YOU ALL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NEXT TIME. Good lu ck, comrades!

Now let me get back to the core (?) subject- a few sections of railway men not p aid adequately DESPITE BEING DECLARED AS MULTI-SKILLED (OR KILLED?) while IREM p rovides bonus to a few categories for DOING THEIR ASSIGNED DUTIES. The great tra gedy being the CEO looking the other way conveniently ignoring the RB guidelines under one alibi or other. It is not too difficult to go for a wild hunch or pun ch. How come such calamities take place in the great IR? Be close to IR-BABUs and take care of their needs. You will get what you do not even deserve. When its so sickening in Railways, no wonder I remembered my ten queries to the P IO/SBC when I got a SMS a few days back. It was from one SM working in the super s aturated sections of SBC division, viz, SBC-JTJ section. The title of the SMS an d the text that followed are given in verbatim as below.

TEN REASONS WHY I WANT TO WORK IN RAILWAYS. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I hate to sleep. I have enjoyed my life in childhood. I cant live without tension. I want to have disturbed family life. I believe in GEETHA: Karm karo, phal ki kamna Na karo.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

I dont want to spend time with my family. I want to take revenge from myself. I desperately need break-up from my dearest friends. I want social boycott and I love to work in holidays also.

I truly apologize. I have been on the lighter vein from the beginning. But when you read the above ten reasons, I guess every SM will be literally in tears. Eve ry AISMA meeting is commenced with paying homage to the known and unknown martyr s of the working class. Next time when you put your head down in our meeting and pray for the unknown martyrs, REMEMBER YOU ARE ONE AMONG THEM-AND LIVING TOO! Bye for now comrades! I will let you know how one more SIMILARLY PLACED AND EQUA LLY AGGRIEVED looks at his job.

(G.Rajan, Ex.CVP/AISMA & GS/SR) (e mail: rajan.iyer@ymail.com; +91 9448293295 )

About the Author G.Rajan, Ex.CVP/AISMA & GS/SR