Railway controllers seek higher pay, better allowances to modernise department despite reform push
The train control department performs the most important functions of supervising, including monitoring mechanical failures and other incidents, and coordinating with all departments to ensure smooth rail operations.
However, in the past few years, controllers said the department lacked a flow of talented workforce due to several unfavourable decisions, resulting in various operational challenges.
Addressing their issues, the Railway Ministry recently implemented several reforms such as direct recruitment, mandatory minimum tenure, changes in selection criteria, training and upskilling, performance monitoring and succession planning, among others.
Controllers across the country expressed satisfaction with the ministry's initiative but said much more needs to be done to modernise the control department.
"As the control cadre is a supervisory cadre and controllers supervise not only the senior subordinates of operating department but also of all other sister departments related with train operations, the grade pays of controllers should be minimum two grade pays higher than its feeder cadres, especially the station masters," said a letter written by the Association of Retired and Serving Operation and Traffic Controllers of Indian Railway.
Addressing it to the chairman and the CEO of the Railway Board, it added that since the initial grade pay of station masters and directly recruited controllers has been kept at the same level at Rs 4,200, talented youths prefer the former as it is less challenging in terms of training and more attractive due to various service conditions.
It is for this reason, according to the letter, that the RDSO (The Research Designs & Standards Organisation) team, led by officers who studied and examined the workings of controllers very carefully, recommended grade pay upgrade for real improvement.
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