scorecardresearch
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeIndiaGovernanceRailway Board pulls up officer for criticising ministry, seeks ‘immediate repatriation’

Railway Board pulls up officer for criticising ministry, seeks ‘immediate repatriation’

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Sanjiv Kumar, currently an OSD with the DoPT, is under the scanner for a piece on a website criticising the board and the railway minister.

New Delhi: The Railway Board has asked the central government to immediately repatriate a 2005-batch officer of the Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS), citing breach of official decorum, misconduct and publicly casting aspersions on the Modi government, including on Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

In a letter addressed to the secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Railway Board secretary Ranjanesh Sahai has sought the “immediate repatriation of Shri Sanjiv Kumar, IRPS”, so that the railway ministry can take “such action as deemed appropriate”.

Kumar is currently posted as the official on special duty (OSD) to the Minister of State for DoPT, Jitendra Singh.

He is under the scanner for an article on the website nationalwheels.com in which he has accused the Railway Board of indulging in corrupt practices over the decades, unduly promoting certain officers and forming cliques.

“After 13 years of Indian Railway Personnel Services, I can say with certainty that in these years, no officer has done anything for the development of human resources of Indian Railways except for a few exceptions,” he has said in the article. “Good efforts in the area have, in fact, been prevented.”

‘Railway minister influenced by favouritism’  

In his article, Kumar has accused the Railway Board chairman of only being driven by his own interests and those of his clique. As a result, even the railway minister is influenced by this favouritism, due to which national interest is compromised, the article reads.

Kumar has also gone on to compare the six members on the board with the six men in the story of the blind men and an elephant, who consider what they believe to be the ultimate truth.

“That is the reason that at the time of independence, China’s railway, which was far behind us, is much ahead of us today. Chinese engineers are running a bullet train at a speed of 300 km per hour, and we are still conducting trials for a speed train of 180 km per hour,” he has said.

Railway employees across the country are deeply disturbed about their “shabby” official accommodations, and the National Pension Scheme, among other things, he has said. “Higher-ups should use their access and ability to help these employees, instead of lobbying and securing positions for their clan.”


Also read: In numbers: Why Indian Railways is so accident-prone


‘In bad taste, casts aspersions’

In his letter seeking Kumar’s repatriation, Railway Board secretary Ranjanesh Sahai has written that the article is “in bad taste, questions the wisdom of senior functionaries of the level of secretary to the government of India and also casts aspersions on the Hon’ble Minister of Railways”.

“In view of the violation of Rule 9 of the Railway Services (Conduct) Rules, 1966, it is proposed to take up the officer under the Railway Servants (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1968,” the letter dated 28 December 2018 states. “You would appreciate that misconduct of this nature and that too in the public domain would send a wrong message all around and encourage indiscipline in the service.”

According to Rule 9, a railway officer must not publicly criticise or embarrass the state or central government.


Also read: Railways to implement goods-for-ads barter system on trains


 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

3 COMMENTS

  1. Government jobs must be cozy for those who want to go through this life in a cozy manner no matter what, but for a conscientious person, such a job must be hell of a torment. If you speak the truth, these guys pounce on you like vultures. Mr Sanjiv Kumar must have had first hand experience about things he’s talking about, but his bosses are threatening to “repatriate” him, whatever that means. These BJP railway ministers’ imagination is limited to food menu. They have been boasting about their food every now and then during last four odd years. That’s raison d’etre for them! Everything else in Indian railways stands still for them. And they’ll be sorry to know that even their food continues to be horrible.

  2. country there is no values for such officials who possess talent,who pin points towards mistakes,lobbying groups,Mr.Kumar who pointed out that China was earlier lagging behind in Railways now they have surpassed India as well as Technology,His critics towards Rail chairman Mr.Ashwani Lohani is completely correct,as he Mr.Ashwani does,nt possess any experience in Railways as his previous designation was Just DRM level then he left Railways joined back from loss making Air India,as it was 2b hived off,he was accommodated by PM of India in cabinet Rank,after his joining his value additions 2 th Railways are hardly being Railways so massive and Important 1 ,as this post was vacant after Mitral,s resignations he grabbed this opportunity.Except speech,he couldn’t do much Punctuality is major concerns,cleanliness in coaches passengers running from post 2 pillars,food quality still remains in dark,he failed 2 control corruptions in Railways,Board and their GM,s DRM,s only Twitter masters,their juniors r moulded in same fashion with fater salries by scapegoating the employees who r working harder,on other hands all General Manager’s not working at ground levels except GM SCR who is strong enough in his deliverables in all aspects from A To Z which is really remarkable.His review mechanism are even better than Mr.Ashwani,Mahmood Jamshed Member Traffic we still yet to know his roles and responsibility? safety director in his eyevory tower,Member rolling stock no values as maintenance of rakes with poor quality of standards,Member Engineering though tracks are electrified trains runs with Disel locomotive,railway staff quarters are of low quality standards not maintaining in proper ways,safety on railway station premise people cross railway lines,un authorised paasengers comes in stn premises for brisk walk w/o valid tickets? IF train running more than 3 hrs late no provisions for water,free food,it is only on papers, blankets thiefts,No AccounTability,Resevation SCAMS in IRCTC,Railways have scapgoated then railway minister with so many accidental events,what supervision Mr.Ashwani does? OVERALL we firmly stand with alligations made by Mr.Kumar.

  3. In our country there is no values for such officials who possess talent,who pin points towards mistakes,lobbying groups,Mr.Kumar who pointed out that China was earlier lagging behind in Railways now they have surpassed India as well as Technology,His critics towards Rail chairman Mr.Ashwani Lohani is completely correct,as he Mr.Ashwani does,nt possess any experience in Railways as his previous designation was Just DRM level then he left Railways joined back from loss making Air India,as it was 2b hived off,he was accommodated by PM of India in cabinet Rank,after his joining his value additions 2 th Railways are hardly being Railways so massive and Important 1 ,as this post was vacant after Mitral,s resignations he grabbed this opportunity.Except speech,he couldn’t do much Punctuality is major concerns,cleanliness in coaches passengers running from post 2 pillars,food quality still remains in dark,he failed 2 control corruptions in Railways,Board and their GM,s DRM,s only Twitter masters,their juniors r moulded in same fashion with fater salries by scapegoating the employees who r working harder,on other hands all General Manager’s not working at ground levels except GM SCR who is strong enough in his deliverables in all aspects from A To Z which is really remarkable.His review mechanism are even better than Mr.Ashwani,Mahmood Jamshed Member Traffic we still yet to know his roles and responsibility? safety director in his eyevory tower,Member rolling stock no values as maintenance of rakes with poor quality of standards,Member Engineering though tracks are electrified trains runs with Disel locomotive,railway staff quarters are of low quality standards not maintaining in proper ways,safety on railway station premise people cross railway lines,un authorised paasengers comes in stn premises for brisk walk w/o valid tickets? IF train running more than 3 hrs late no provisions for water,free food,it is only on papers, blankets thiefts,No AccounTability,Resevation SCAMS in IRCTC,Railways have scapgoated then railway minister with so many accidental events,what supervision Mr.Ashwani does? OVERALL we firmly stand with alligations made by Mr.Kumar.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular