On Friday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, met with a group of Indian Railways loco pilots at New Delhi railway station where the latter raised issues related to their working conditions. Around 50 loco pilots from various parts of India attended the meeting, where they shared their concerns about understaffing and inadequate rest periods.
In one-on-one conversation, the loco pilots voiced their concerns about the severe understaffing issues that force them to work long hours without adequate breaks, a source mentioned. This, they say, leads to high stress levels and potential lapses in concentration, which can result in accidents. The pilots also demanded a minimum of 46 hours of rest per week, while urging that two consecutive nights of duty be followed by one night of rest and that trains be equipped with basic amenities for drivers.
Further, the source mentioned that during the meeting, a reason to find what led to the lack of rest was also deliberated upon. And the reason that floats in was the halting the recruitment of loco pilots.
"Over the past four years, the Railways Recruitment Board has not recruited even a single loco pilot despite tens of thousands of vacancies. The pilots expressed their fear that this deliberate move is a plan by the Modi government to privatize the railways," a party source claimed.
Meanwhile, replying to loco pilots' concerns, sources mentioned that Gandhi promised to take up their demands with the government. He assured them that he has been consistently raising the issue of "railways' privatization and lack of recruitment."
(With inputs from PTI)
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