Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on July 5 met a group of Indian Railways loco pilots, who complained of “inadequate rest due to understaffing”.
Congress sources said that Mr. Gandhi met around 50 loco pilots from all over India at the New Delhi railway station in the afternoon for an interaction.
Explaining their issues to Mr. Gandhi, said the source, the loco pilots mainly complained of inadequate rest.
“The loco pilots drive trains over long distances, far from home, and are often pressed into duty without adequate breaks and this causes great stress and lapses in concentration which is a major cause of accidents,” the Congress source said.
“This has been acknowledged by the Indian Railways in multiple reports, including the recent probe in the accident in Vishakapatnam,” he added.
Mr. Gandhi is said to assured that he would take up their demands with the government.
The Congress source claimed that loco pilots demand a weekly rest of 46 hours, something the Railways Act 1989 and other rules provide for but not strictly implemented. According to the party, the loco pilots demanded that two consecutive nights of duty should be followed by one night of rest, and trains should have basic amenities for drivers.
“Over the past four years, the Railways Recruitment Board has not recruited even a single loco pilot despite tens of thousands of vacancies. The pilots expressed their fear that this deliberate move is a plan by the Modi government to privatise the railways,” the source claimed.
