Even after two months of the retirement of the chairman, Railway Boa-rd (CRB), Vinay Mittal, the railways grapples to find his successor, with top contender, R.S. Virdi, apparently falling victim to an alleged conspiracy hatched by his competitors to keep him out of the race for the top post.
This newspaper was the first to report of a 10 years old vigilance case having been opened against Mr Virdi, general manager of North-east Frontier Railway, during the fag end of Mr Mittal’s tenure, allegedly with an eye to keep him out of the race for the next CRB.
It has been learnt that Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has recommended a minor penalty chargesheet against him, which could shut out his case now. Sources said Mr Virdi met the Union railways minister Mallikarjuna Kharge on Friday to apprise him of the motivated campaign against him to dug out a case in which he was given a clean chit earlier. However, Mr Kharge, sources said, declined to intervene in the matter and has reportedly told Mr Virdi that he would go by the opinion of the interim CRB Arunendra Kumar.
A section of officials in the railways are up in arms against the decision of the minister to side with the interim CRB, claiming that “there is a vested interest on the part of Mr Kumar to keep Mr Virdi out of the race”.
Mr Virdi, incidentally, fulfils the criteria of having one year’s experience as an open line general manager and residual service of more than two years for the appointment as a CRB. But the move of the CVC to recommend a chargesheet has made a section of officials livid.
“It’s violative of para 4.4 (g) of the CVC’s vigilance manual under which the public servant concerned is given an opportunity to clarify on allegations against him. The railways has so far not given any opportunity to him,” said a senior official.
The CVC is learnt to have recommended on August 21 chargesheets against two railway officers, D.C. Sharma and R.S. Virdi, for their alleged involvement in a 2003 case relating to the purchase of perfume dispensers.