New Delhi: A committee of secretaries has been constituted to look into the modalities of the merger of the eight railway services, Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav said.
He also said posts could be created at the senior levels to ensure that the merger doesn’t hamper anyone’s career.
Speaking about the committee of secretaries formed last week, Yadav said it is being headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. Its members include Yadav, the secretaries of the departments of personnel and training, expenditure, and law.
The committee will be studying the modalities and then report to the Group of Ministers (GoM), which will take a final call on how to go about with the merger.
In December last year, the Narendra Modi government had approved the merger of eight existing rail services into a single Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS), saying the move “will end the culture of working in ‘silos’ and mark the beginning of a new and unified railway with a coherent vision for the future”.
However, anticipating that the move would lead to some resentment and it will take time to look into the modalities, the government has set a timeline of one year to implement the merger.
To ensure that nobody’s career growth is hindered by the move, Yadav said, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) could ensure that posts are created at the senior levels.
“We will ensure that no officer is pulled down due to the merger,” he said.
“We will also revamp the selection process to posts entirely… The appointment will be strictly on merit and experience, and not on the basis of service, etc.,” he added.
“The modalities will also not be fixed up without discussions… Drafts of these modalities will be discussed before they are implemented.”
Also read: Merging railway services could compromise safety: RJD MP on standing panel writes to PM Modi
‘No service will be disadvantaged’
The decision to merge the eight services had sparked massive outrage, with officers from three of the old services — Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) and Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) — calling the decision arbitrary, unfair and demotivating.
The officers of these three services, who are selected through the Civil Services Examination conducted by the UPSC, as opposed to the Indian Engineering Service Exam, fear that after the merger of the eight services engineers will be allowed to man managerial posts, while they will not be able to man posts meant for engineers.
Additionally, since civil servants join the service at a later age of 26-27 (as opposed to engineering service officers who join at 23-24), they fear the engineering service officers will climb up the hierarchical ladder faster, and will serve for a longer time.
“It is these very concerns that are being addressed by the committee of secretaries,” Yadav said, adding, “No service will be disadvantaged.”
Also read: More railway officers voice discontent over govt’s merger decision
The aim of this decision changing faster than anything else. Creating more posts means more burden on economy. At one stage it is being said that board will become leaner while on the other hand promotions and posts are being promised. So many officer association are protesting against the decision with valid reports from past but no cognisance is being taken. One must not continue with a decision taken in haste sometimes it’s better to stop and rethink. It’s better to go back on decision then continuing just for the sake of it. PM is a wise man I hope vested interest of few won’t distort the Great Indian railways . Let’s not compromise for the whims and fancies of few
A mammoth organisation like Indian railways cand afford havoc decisions. To pleas perticular wings of org we do unnecessary merger and then to counter outrage we make senior posts. We can’t ignore importance of domain expertise in today’s oganasations. Making Administrative and engineering service could be the solution supported by different experts and committees
Mr Yadav. For once think about Indian Railways. IR is to serve the nation and help achieve the aim of five trillion economy.
IR is not there to give somebody seniority, as you have always been saying, first of electrical engineers in VC and now the charade of protecting seniorities of IRTS, IRAS and IRPS.
Think India, not Electrical Engineer Sir.
Every service delivery organisation with the amount of technicality like Railways has a managerial wing (to frame the vision in consonance with the needs of the customer and bring about as well as monitor the implementation of the projects to meet those needs) and a technical wing to improve upon the technical aspects along with cost savings.
If everyone can do everything, it’s a recipe for no one doing anything properly. In such anxiety, all one does is to maximise their interests.
Moreover no where in the world such a model of working is in practice.
Reforms need to be brought for the right reasons and in the right interest.
It’s a strange proposition. Two wrongs do not make it right. Cadre Merger is an unthinkable idea. By no stretch of imagination it can be a useful step. It’s shocking that such a decision was taken in the first place. No one with slightest of idea of how this organisation runs can support this horrible idea . It’s sure to ruin the organisation irreversibly, breed animosity within and risk the lives of the millions of travelling public.
Providing posts to the adversely affected will be bad for Rlys. It’s like saying “burn the hut and then cool it down by flooding it “. The future generations will laugh at us for doing this to this iconic organisation. By being adamant with something as unreasonable as this, we only expose our intention to destroy it.
What they will do on extra post, from 17 sept toll 2nd october will do work as sweeper. Rest of the time, will do dance, club ,sing a song for GM and DRM.
New posts will create unnecessary extra burden on government’s exchequer. When economy is already in doldrums is it wise to do so? To cap one unjust step u r taking another illogical step. It is public money .Don’t waste.