SR vigilance officials in Salem to investigate sick leave scam
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:09.11.2019
Southern railway vigilance officials from Chennai are camping in Salem for the past two days to probe complaints that some station masters misuse sick leave to go on long holidays to their home towns or hill stations.
Sources said the role of officials at the railway hospitals in the division is under scanner. Vigilance officials are investigating if bribes were paid to obtain false medical certificates.
Employees who were supposed to be on sick leave for 10-14 days returned from holiday and got a medical certificate dated a day before they rejoined duty.
After TOI reported this practice, many station masters complained that they, guards and pointsmen were being denied leave as there were a lot of vacancies. "Senior officials are not taking steps to fill these vacancies and station masters are overworked," said EK Babu, a senior office-bearer of the All-India Station Master Association (AISMA).
In fact the letter from Salem division sent to Vigilance itself highlights the vacancy issue. A large number of station masters are from north and eastern India. "They have to take leave to visit their families at least once or twice a year but it is difficult to get leave. They use the sick leave route for this," said a station master based in Chennai.
After the vigilance took up the case, the medical department officials in Salem has released all employees who were currently marked as sick, sources said.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:09.11.2019
Southern railway vigilance officials from Chennai are camping in Salem for the past two days to probe complaints that some station masters misuse sick leave to go on long holidays to their home towns or hill stations.
Sources said the role of officials at the railway hospitals in the division is under scanner. Vigilance officials are investigating if bribes were paid to obtain false medical certificates.
Employees who were supposed to be on sick leave for 10-14 days returned from holiday and got a medical certificate dated a day before they rejoined duty.
After TOI reported this practice, many station masters complained that they, guards and pointsmen were being denied leave as there were a lot of vacancies. "Senior officials are not taking steps to fill these vacancies and station masters are overworked," said EK Babu, a senior office-bearer of the All-India Station Master Association (AISMA).
In fact the letter from Salem division sent to Vigilance itself highlights the vacancy issue. A large number of station masters are from north and eastern India. "They have to take leave to visit their families at least once or twice a year but it is difficult to get leave. They use the sick leave route for this," said a station master based in Chennai.
After the vigilance took up the case, the medical department officials in Salem has released all employees who were currently marked as sick, sources said.
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