New roster to pave way for more railway ticket counters, TTEs

If the new roster were fully given effect to, train travellers may find more travelling ticket examiners on board trains, and more ticket counters open throughout the division when the rosters of other commercial department employees also get rationalised. Several TTEs and booking clerks have been clinging on to the same offices for over a decade (four years is maximum as per railway rule) for reasons of money and personal comfort by cajoling their union bosses. 

However, the SRMU had observed hunger strike opposing the new TTEs roster, which, it claims, was arbitrary and prepared unilaterally. 

The hunger strike was observed on the same day when a large posse of railway vigilance had raided the booking office and reservation counters at Moore Market Complex (MMC) to which clerks were temporarily sourced from outside to ensure uninterrupted ticket sale despite the absence of 14 booking clerks owing allegiance to the SRMU. 

Some of the participants in the strike were reportedly on ‘sick leave’.

Meanwhile, senior divisional operation manager (Sr DOM), Trichy, V Prasana has issued a circular advising his staff not to lose money to a ‘section’ of staff/ex-staff who promise to get them transfer to the place the workers want, retention and change of orders, promotions, paternity, maternity and child care leave and reduction of punishment done. 

The circular, which advises staff to directly contact appropriate officers to solve genuine grievances and intimate them if any person approaches them with a demand, comes in the backdrop of a dozen staff (all of whom have been suspended) allegedly assaulting the senior divisional commercial manager there for rationalizing muster rolls.

A senior official in the Southern Railway who reportedly threatened some staff with a gun way back in 2007, is in the dock. The XVI metropolitan magistrate court while rejecting the closure report filed by the railway police absolving him of the crime, has directed the protest petition filed in this regard to be treated as a private complaint and further proceedings initiated from thereon. The issue relates to an alleged incident, which transpired on April 20, 2007 when Ajit Saxena, Chief Commercial Manager, Southern Railway, had threatened the complainant S Jayashree and other union members, with a gun when they had gone to meet him. Initially, an FIR lodged under the Indian Arms Act was closed. But based on a High Court order, the issue was reopened for investigation by the railway police. Following the probe, the Inspector concerned closed further proceedings and filed a report on June1, 2016.