The Railways has decided to put in place a mechanism for cleaning up passenger trains but in the process it will be showing the door to its downsizing plans.The Railways wants to recruit more than 14,000 employees at coaching depots and 188 originating stations besides employing private help. The estimated employment generation by the private contractors carrying out the cleaning up of some 30,000 plus coaches would be another 14,000.The Railways has already announced recruitment of some 20,000 employees in group D during the current year for improving its safety record. Another 3500 constables will be taken in for the Railway Protection Force. These recruitments are being viewed as the Railway Minister Nitish Kumar’s populist moves ahead of general elections due in 2004.The Indian Railways is the world’s biggest employer with a total workforce of about 1.5 million. Such recruitments by earlier railway ministers followed by implementation of the fifth pay commission has made its workforce a drain on railway finances. The Railways had spent about Rs 17,765 crore in 2001-02 on pensions and salaries alone.Sources said that the Railways will shortly invite bids from private parties for carrying out mechanised cleaning of trains at 50 major stations at a cost of about Rs 100 crore.Mechanised en-route cleaning of trains by private operator was launched last year at Ratlam station in Madhya Pradesh. This station is one of the busiest junction on the railway network. Officials said the system would be introduced in 14 other stations during the current year.“It will be possible to clean coaches of all 3,500 mail and express trains once the mechanised system is introduced in all the stations,” claimed an official. These trains would go through cleaning after every 10 to 11 hours of journey without upsetting schedule.The zonal railways have been empowered to undertake such activities within their jurisdiction.
