New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) The track maintainers’ unions have expressed anger over the dismissal of a worker who had alerted his senior officer about a defect in the track before the derailment of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express in July near Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.
North-Eastern Railway zone dismissed track maintainer Ram Aasne from service on September 13, alleging that he leaked the recording of his conversation with his senior on social media which is against the Railways’ conduct rule.
Four people were killed and 31 injured when eight coaches of the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express derailed between the Motiganj and Jhilahi railway stations near Gonda on July 18.
The unions said Aasane was innocent and he did not have any role in leaking the conversation on social media.
“In fact, the process adopted by the Railways for his dismissal is also flawed and discriminatory,” Subhash Dubey, National Convener, North Eastern Railway Men’s Congress Union (NERMC), said.
“Such decisions will demotivate frontline workers which is not good for safe train operation. I request the General Manager of North Eastern Railway as well as the Railway Board to step into his case and take a fair decision,” he added.
The officer bearers of another workers’ body, the All India Railway Trackmaintainers’ Union (AIRTU), also supported the demand to revoke Aasne’s dismissal.
When contacted, a railway spokesperson from the Lucknow division said any employee who feels that an unjust action has been taken against him, can exercise his legal rights in the adequate legal forum.
On July 18, soon after the derailment of the train, a recorded conversation between Aasne and his senior was circulated on WhatsApp. Asane can be heard alerting the officer about a defect in the track which might lead to a train derailment.
The initial probe done by five senior railway officials held that the track had defects and was not properly fastened. Soon after that, the Commissioner of Railway Safety launched a probe whose report is awaited.
Senior Assistant Divisional Engineer (Sr ADEN) of Gonda dismissed Aasne from service accusing him of committing misconduct by releasing the said conversation on social media.
“Interestingly, if you see the dismissal order, first it gives an acknowledgement and says that Aasne is given an opportunity to defend himself which will be considered before passing the dismissal order. The annexure of the acknowledgement is the dismissal order which says that he is being dismissed from the railway service with immediate effect,” Dubey said.
Opposing his dismissal, Aasne wrote to the concerned Sr ADEN and denied the allegation that he was behind leaking the said conversation. Aasne said that he is illiterate and has been working with the Railways for the last 24 years.
Pleading to withdraw the dismissal order, he said the sudden removal from service without any proven offence and proper investigation would leave him and his family helpless and vulnerable to starvation which is against the principle of natural justice.
According to railway sources, the Sr ADEN who dismissed Asane, was transferred by the NER zone to Ballia on administrative ground without citing any specific reason.
They also said that the official was transferred as the administration was not happy with him for clearing the removal order of Asane.
“If this is the case then Asne should have been asked to rejoin by setting aside his dismissal order. When the CRS enquiry is pending, any dismissal order is unfair. It shows that the railway authorities victimise the workers and junior employees to protect the dereliction of duties of the seniors,” Akhilesh Pandey, National President, NERMC, said.
The Union has also vented its anger against the transfer of another track maintainer and one of its office bearers, Divisional President Kunwar Vikas Singh from Gonda to Tukunia because Singh held several protests opposing Asane’s dismissal. PTI JP RHL
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