More representation sought for civil services cadre in Railways

Seniors officials of the South Western Railway have written to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal against the creation of a unified Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS) in the current form, seeking more representation to officers from the civil services cadre.

The proposed reform by the merger of all engineering and civil services cadres in the current form would be unable to achieve the desired results, they wrote in a letter, a copy of which has also been sent to the PMO. They said the merger of the services be carried out on the basis of the roles and skillsets. Raising concern over the "slow progress and visible clash of interests", the officials have defined the roles and required skill set for the merger.

They submitted that the entire matter be examined from the beginning by the Ministry of Railways, along with the cabinet secretary, and recommendations of all committees be taken into account. The Indian Railways in the current scenario is clearly missing proper representation of civil services officers at the decision-making level, they said. Only three out of 27 general managers are from the civil services cadre, which results in regular disputes amongst engineering departments, delayed project execution and misplaced organisational priorities, they added.

The proposed merger of all cadres would further reduce the representation of civil services cadre, an official said. The officers have urged for a separate seniority for administrative and engineering services and the creation of a post of Member HR in the Railway Board in place of the DG, HR.