Indian Railways may be the biggest employment provider in the country but figures indicate that Keralites are not enthusiastic about jobs in the mammoth PSU.
In fact, non-Keralites have been employed locally even in posts
that require public interaction.
“The trend is no different in the recruitment to around 800 Group ‘D’ posts that is currently underwa, a top railway official said.
“No one from the state has figured among those selected for the Engineering category in Ernakulam while only one Keralite was among the 83 who joined under the category in Kottayam,” the official added.
It’s not the salary that is keeping locals away.
“The minimum salary for the posts comes to around Rs 13,000 per month (basic salary Rs 5,200) which is higher than many posts in state government departments. Still, few from the state are interested in the jobs,” the official said.
The existing staff ratio is 40 locals to 60 from outside the state.
The shortage of local personnel causes problems when it comes to communication.
“Out of the six personnel deployed at the Information counter in the Ernakulam Junction, four are north Indians who are not well versed in the local language.
Many a times, complaints have been made by commuters about the ‘communication gap’,” says another official at the regional office.
“Railways should keep in mind the requirements of the customers they are serving.
“A local person here may not understand the replies given in half Hindi and half Malayalam,” said Paul K. J. Manvattom, president of the All Kerala Railway Users Association.
True, but if there are no local takers, the Railways is hardly to blame.