Are our train journeys really safe? Even loco pilots operating the trains do not hesitate to say ‘no’. They complain that pilots were being forced to work for long hours in spite of exhaustion and fatigue, at the expense of passenger safety.
Following the fatal Hampi express accident at Penukonda in Andhra Pradesh, pilots associations renewed their demand to stop fixing accountability on them while they were being pushed to overwork for want of adequate manpower.
The report of the high-level safety review committee headed by Dr Anil Kakodkar released in 2011, said there are 21.3 and 16.2 per cent vacancies for the post of loco pilots and motormen in India.
Indian Railways has 28,940 loco pilots and 2,937 motormen against the sanctioned strength of 36,772 and 3,505, Mr V. Balachandran, divisional secretary, all India loco running staff association, Chennai, said. In Chennai division, 13 per cent posts between assistant loco pilot and loco pilots are vacant, with the division having only 1,423 pilots, against the sanctioned strength of 1,571.
Similarly, the ministry was facing 22.9 per cent shortage among loco pilot shunters, another safety category. Conceding that most of them suffer from fatigue, loco pilots, preferring anonymity, told DC that their concentration gets affected due to lack of adequate rest.
Their genuine leave applications are often declined and they are pushed to work overtime, Mr Balachandran said, adding that exhaustion affects their alertness.
The research and development standard organisation of the railway ministry said loco pilots lose concentration even on the second night of work.
However, existing rules allow pilots to work for six consecutive nights of 13 hours per trip. The railways also ignored a 2011 order of regional labour commissioner fixing six hours as maximum work duration for loco pilots operating passenger trains.