Contractual Recruitment of Ex-servicemen as Gatemen Causes Discontent

Our Correspondent

TINSUKIA: Contractual recruitment of ex-servicemen as gatemen in Tinsukia Railway Division of NFR through service provider recently has been seen as a step further towards privatization. This has marred all prospects of permanent employment of unemployed educated youths in the division and led to discontentment even among serving Railway employees.

So far 30 ex-servicemen have been recruited on a contractual basis to the posts of Gateman on railway-level crossing gates, of which few are ‘under-qualified’ even as the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), Guwahati had earmarked 504 posts of Group D for ex-servicemen during 2018, paving the way for dual benefits to ex-servicemen. The MoU signed between Senior Divisional Engineer of the Divisional Railway Manager Office Tinsukia and Director of Army Placement Node, Guwahati, on behalf of Army Welfare Placement Organization (AWPO), on September 10 stated that ‘Railway desires that the service of ex-servicemen should be utilized to work as Gateman on railway-level crossing gate over Tinsukia Division and AWPO will provide 60 suitable ex-servicemen for gatemen and 4 supervisors over Tinsukia division’.

Following this, the AWPO engaged a Guwahati-based service provider- Orion Security Solution Pvt Ltd -which furnished a list of 30 ex-servicemen.

Though the MoU stipulated under clause 6.12 that the nominee should have passed matriculation, surprisingly as many as 9 ex-servicemen had studied till only Class IX. In view of risky factors involved in the job, such under-qualified persons operating as electrical signal maintainer (ESM) will put the safety of Railways and passengers in particular in jeopardy. Now the question arises why the Railways was so eager to engage contractual persons in such sensitive jobs with remuneration of Rs 22,415, that included all allowances like 11.5 percent service charges? The present contract is for 24 months and subject to renewable for another 24 months.

According to a source, the Railways has been contemplating to engage more such persons in other divisions ostensibly depriving local youths. Though The Sentinel tried to reach DRM Tinsukia, Ram Bahadur Rai for his comment, he could not be contacted.