Latest news with #EmergencyinIndia
The Print
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Railways during Emergency: Trains on time, but veterans also recall long working hours
'I remember an incident when some lower-level railway employees were suspended for lack of water in (the then Railway minister) Kamlapati Tripathi's saloon attached to the Kashi Vishwanath Express train. He used to perform puja in his private coach while travelling to Kashi, and during one of those days, water couldn't be pumped up, resulting in a lack of water in his coach,' Mishra, who worked as a junior engineer at Lucknow station in 1977, said. Veteran trade union leader Shiv Gopal Mishra said that senior officers were held responsible for the delay in train services, and that's why there was a huge focus on punctuality. New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) Amidst several bitter memories of 21 months of Emergency in India 50 years ago, veteran railway employees recall mixed experiences during the period — the praise received for trains running on time and the difficulty of long working hours with no avenues for grievance redressal. He added, 'The rail administration suspended some lower-level workers for dereliction of duties. However, when the minister came to know about it, he immediately ordered the revocation of the suspension.' According to Mishra, in those days, instead of penalising lower-level officers, action was taken against senior officials for late running of trains, due to which it was ensured with more alacrity that all trains stick to their assigned time of arrival and departure. Mishra, presently the general secretary of All India Railwaymen's Federation, said, 'Besides my official position in Railways, I was a branch assistant secretary of the workers' union too.' Cleanliness was also ensured, another retired railway employee, not willing to be quoted, said, adding that senior officers were asked to remain in the field for eight hours to keep a watch on the trains' working, stations and surrounding areas. 'They ensured cleanliness because they knew they would be the first in the firing line. There were nine railway zones at that time, which have now been increased to 17. Also, trains were not as crowded as they are today,' he said. 'There was no corruption, so far as I remember, in the railways as officers were aware of severe action. Workers and senior officers were treated equally on the working hours front,' he said. Mishra also felt that corruption was at its lowest point in railways among senior officials during the Emergency days. Retired loco pilot P Vijaykumar, who used to drive passenger trains in 1977, said that there were no fixed working hours for drivers and often they used to pilot trains for more than 14 to 16 hours and sometimes even 24 hours. 'We were not able to negotiate with the government, hold meetings or do anything to raise the workers' demand,' Vijaykumar said, adding that before Emergency, there was an agreement with the government to give a 10-hour shift to loco pilots. PTI JP RT RT RT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Railways during Emergency: Trains on time, but veterans also recall long working hours
Amidst several bitter memories of 21 months of Emergency in India 50 years ago, veteran railway employees recall mixed experiences during the period -- the praise received for trains running on time and the difficulty of long working hours with no avenues for grievance redressal. Veteran trade union leader Shiv Gopal Mishra said that senior officers were held responsible for the delay in train services, and that's why there was a huge focus on punctuality. "I remember an incident when some lower-level railway employees were suspended for lack of water in (the then Railway minister) Kamlapati Tripathi's saloon attached to the Kashi Vishwanath Express train. He used to perform puja in his private coach while travelling to Kashi, and during one of those days, water couldn't be pumped up, resulting in a lack of water in his coach," Mishra, who worked as a junior engineer at Lucknow station in 1977, said. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 30:13 Loaded : 0.29% 00:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 30:13 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Ads By Google Ad will close in 29 Skip ad in 4 Skip Ad by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Chuck Norris: If You're Over 60, Avoid These 3 Foods Like The Plague Roundhouse Provisions Watch Now Undo He added, "The rail administration suspended some lower-level workers for dereliction of duties. However, when the minister came to know about it, he immediately ordered the revocation of the suspension." According to Mishra, in those days, instead of penalising lower-level officers, action was taken against senior officials for late running of trains, due to which it was ensured with more alacrity that all trains stick to their assigned time of arrival and departure. Live Events Mishra, presently the general secretary of All India Railwaymen's Federation , said, "Besides my official position in Railways, I was a branch assistant secretary of the workers' union too." Cleanliness was also ensured, another retired railway employee, not willing to be quoted, said, adding that senior officers were asked to remain in the field for eight hours to keep a watch on the trains' working, stations and surrounding areas. "They ensured cleanliness because they knew they would be the first in the firing line. There were nine railway zones at that time, which have now been increased to 17. Also, trains were not as crowded as they are today," he said. "There was no corruption, so far as I remember, in the railways as officers were aware of severe action. Workers and senior officers were treated equally on the working hours front," he said. Mishra also felt that corruption was at its lowest point in railways among senior officials during the Emergency days. Retired loco pilot P Vijaykumar, who used to drive passenger trains in 1977, said that there were no fixed working hours for drivers and often they used to pilot trains for more than 14 to 16 hours and sometimes even 24 hours. "We were not able to negotiate with the government, hold meetings or do anything to raise the workers' demand," Vijaykumar said, adding that before Emergency, there was an agreement with the government to give a 10-hour shift to loco pilots.
United News of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
BJP slams Cong over 'Emergency-like' rule in Karnataka
Bengaluru, May 26 (UNI) The Karnataka BJP president Vijayendra Yediyurappa on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led government in Karnataka, accusing it of adopting 'dictatorial' methods reminiscent of the Emergency era to suppress the opposition and curtail press freedom. In a strongly worded statement, Vijayendra alleged that the Congress party 'has the darkest history of the Emergency in India' and it continues to 'strangle the democratic system' through oppressive tactics. 'The Congress has a notorious legacy of jailing political opponents, stifling the media, and undermining democratic institutions,' Vijayendra said. Accusing the Congress of misusing state machinery, Vijayendra charged the ruling party with using the Assembly Speaker's office and the police force to harass opposition leaders and silence dissent. 'In the past two years, the Congress has worked to establish an arbitrary regime in Karnataka, unleashing threats against the police system and turning constitutional positions into tools of vendetta,' Vijayendra said. He further claimed that the state government's recent move to restrict opposition participation in a state-sponsored event under the guise of a 'tool conference' was an attempt to stifle criticism. 'This is the first time a government has issued a notification to exclude the opposition and media from a state event, deploying officials to ensure total control,' Vijayendra said. Hitting out at the Congress over reports of defamation suits against opposition leaders and journalists, the Vijayendra said, 'If you think you can silence us with the police and legal notices, you are mistaken. This dictatorial mindset, driven by sycophantic advice, is evident in your actions.' Drawing parallels with the Emergency period, Vijayendra warned that a 'second chapter of Emergency' appears to have begun in Karnataka. 'The power to resist it lies with the democratic forces – the people of Karnataka, the opposition, and the media – and their response will be seen soon,' he said. UNI BDN PRS
