Sunday, February 3, 2019

Railway clerk put off duty for helming train with 700 on board

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Surat:03.02.2019

The railway booking clerk facing inquiry after his video of him driving a passenger train on Tapti line from Surat to Jalgaon went viral has been taken off duty by Western Railway (WR) authorities on Saturday.

Official sources said the railway authorities have taken cognizance of booking clerk Ravindra More, 38, employed at Athwalines passenger reservation centre (PRS), driving the passenger train with more than 700 passengers onboard.

While the inquiry is still going on, the clerk has been taken off duty.

The video of Ravindra More had gone viral on social media, showing him operating the locomotive engine of the passenger train for about 10km at a speed of 60km per hour.

More was taking directions from the loco pilot on increasing speed and applying brake. However, the identity of the loco pilot, who allowed More to drive the passenger train is yet to be established.

In the preliminary inquiry, More stated that the video was around seven years old and that he does not remember the train which he drove.

As per Indian Railways rules, even an assistant loco pilot is not allowed to take control of the loco engine in the absence of the authorized loco pilot.

Area railway manager (ARM), Surat railway station, CR Garuda said, “The clerk in question has been put off duty by higher authorities. He will have to report to work on a daily basis, but will not be able to perform his duty. The inquiry is still going on against him. If the WR finds substantial evidence against the clerk, he may face severe action.”

A senior officer of WR said, “The inquiry is on to find the identity of the loco pilot, who allowed the booking clerk to drive the passenger train. As per loco running staff rules, the loco pilot is not allowed to hand over the system to an outsider. In this case, both the clerk and the loco pilot are equally responsible for putting passenger safety at risk.”

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