Guards146; no to extra shift halts trains

Central Railway suburban services, on both the harbour and the main lines, were brought to a standstill for hours on Monday by railway guards refusing to work 8220;overtime8221; to make up for 20 guards who did not turn up.

Central Railway CR suburban services, on both the harbour and the main lines, were brought to a standstill for hours on Monday by railway guards refusing to work 8220;overtime8221; to make up for 20 guards who did not turn up.

According to J N Lal, Divisional Railway Manager Mumbai Division of the CR, some 20 guards did not turn up on Monday as per the roster. In the afternoon, when the administration asked guards on duty to work an extra shift, they did not comply.

This led to clogging of trains one behind another, called 8220;bunching8221; in the Railway parlance, as guards refused to board trains occupying platform slots at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus CST.

There are 576 guards working with the suburban railway of the CR, against the sanctioned 594. 8220;The standard duty hours for a guard is 10 hours, but in suburban railway they work for around six hours,8221; added Lal.

8220;We had finished our duty when we were told to do 8220;overtime8221;, but simply couldn8217;t due to work overload. Also, most of us wanted to go home due to Diwali,8221; said a guard on morning duty who refused to work extra time.

8220;But we were not agitating,8221; he clarified.

Commuters had to face the heat. They either had to alight and take the road route or wait till train services were normal again. It was particularly hard on women and senior citizens. It took 2 to 3 hours for the train to cover the Parel-CST stretch, which otherwise takes 20-odd minutes.

8220;As the trains were stranded on one side the slow track towards CST, there were few on the other track,8221; said Punit Karnik, a commuter.

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Though motormen run the trains, guards play a pivotal role. 8220;The guard is in charge of the train and alerts motormen in case of any emergency, especially from the rear side. He gives motormen the signal for departure after ensuring all commuters are safely on board,8221; said an Indian Rail and Traffic Service IRTS officer. 8220;In case of any accident, he, along with the railway cops, ensures the track is cleared for the next train.8221;

Meanwhile, the railway administration said they had taken steps to avert such a situation in future. The guards and the railway administration additional DRM held a meeting to sort out the problem. 8220;We have issued them a warning so that such things do not happen in future,8221; added Lal.