More than 250 porters-turned gangmen from Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Surat and other divisions of the western railway demanded that they be reinstated as porters as they found their new job tough."General Secretary of Sangh J G Mahurkar met the railway authorities in the headquarters of the western railway in Mumbai and requested the concerned authorities to concede to the demand," president of the Western Railway Mazdoor sangh Sharifkhan Pathan said.Pathan said that more than 120 porters from Ahmedabad and 50 from Vadodara besides other centres of western railway had opted for the job of gangmen after Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said they could opt for the job of gangmen.However, many porters, who become gangmen found it difficult to work on the railway tracks, Pathan said.Hamal Association of Gujarat have also supported the demands of gangmen for becoming porters. Also some of them who have crossed the age of 50, find it difficult to work on the tracks as gangmen, the Association said, adding even pension scheme for the gangmen is not attractive.Meanwhile, Minister of State for Railways Naranbhai Rathwa said that many gangmen have asked him to concede to their demand.
