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Pune railways begins process to terminate services of agency responsible for cleaning trains

The decision came after The Indian Express reported on the issue, following the cleaning staff's strike on September 9.

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Manoj Shinde, one of the cleaning staff, said workers are currently back to work and expressed satisfaction with the removal of the agency. (Express Photo)

The Pune railway administration has initiated the legal termination procedure against the agency responsible for cleaning trains at Pune’s washing areas after its contractors were accused of abusive behavior towards workers and underpaying them. The decision came after The Indian Express reported on the issue, following the cleaning staff’s strike on September 9.

Twenty days ago, hundreds of contract-based workers under the agency, working at three washing areas—New Washing Area, Old Washing Area, and Ghorpadi Integrated Cleaning Centre (GCIC) at Pune station—began an indefinite strike, demanding action against two contractors who had allegedly delayed salaries or paid only half their monthly remuneration. The workers also halted their work until their demands for safety equipment, such as providing gloves and boots for cleaning train toilets, were met.

After complaints were registered against the contractors at the Divisional Railway Manager’s office, the railway initiated an investigation into the company and found documents showing non-compliance with railway guidelines.

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Shadab Jamal, senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer (Sr. DME) at Pune division, had earlier issued a showcause notice to the contractors, giving them 14 days to respond. After getting no clarification from the contract agency, the railway decided to terminate the contract.

Rajkumar Bhogre, senior sectional engineer in the Pune division, said after the incident, a document verification officer was appointed to oversee the issue. Now, after serving the notice, the final termination process has begun.

“Once the termination process is complete, the process to hire a new agency will be initiated. As soon as the tender process starts, an alternate agency will be approached. The documents must comply with railway guidelines,” Bhogre said.

Manoj Shinde, one of the cleaning staff, said workers are currently back to work and expressed satisfaction with the removal of the agency.

Shubham Tigga

Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More

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