Finally,state picks a Rly Transport Commissioner

When contacted,Subodh Jain,General Manager,Central Railway confirmed that the Railway Board had sent two names,PK Ranade,Chief Claims Officer,and V A Malegaonkar,Chief Public Relations Officer CR,to the state government for selection but he was not aware whether a name has been finalised.

He told The Indian Express,“I am not aware if any name has been selected.” Another senior CR official,however,said,“The state government has selected Malegaonkar. The post will be filled within a month.’’

In March 2012,the Railway Board had accorded in-principle approval to the state government proposal for creating the post under the state transport ministry to be filled by a high-ranking railway officer on deputation. The salary would be borne by the state government.

The post is being created for the first time in Maharashtra and is the second instance in the country.

A railway officials said Rajasthan created a similar a post two years ago,which is held by Ashwin Kumar,a senior administration grade railway official.

The commissioner for railway transport would operate from the office provided by the state government and will also have an office in the railways.

The need for such a post was felt as key infrastructure projects of the state government that either intersects or overlaps railway jurisdiction have been facing inordinate delays owing to lack of coordination between various government agencies.

In Maharashtra,several major railway projects are being undertaken or are in the pipeline.

Simultaneously,there are several state government projects where coordination from the railways is required.

“There are around 125 projects in Maharashtra,which could not be expedited for lack of coordination. The commissioner will coordinate with zonal railways,which do not have their headquarters in Mumbai such as South Central Railway,South Western Railway,Konkan Railway,besides the state government authorities,’’ said Jain.