7 months ago
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Facing an acute manpower crunch, the Indian Railways has decided to enlistee ex-servicemen arsenic pointsmen crossed its network.
The Railway Board has approved the engagement of 5,058 ex-servicemen connected a contractual ground arsenic an interim measurement to conscionable operational requirements, until regular candidates are recruited done the Railway Recruitment Cells.
In a circular issued connected Thursday (December 12, 2025), the Railway Board directed the wide managers of each zonal railways to enlistee ex-servicemen done the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Boards nether the Central and State governments. Their archetypal contracts volition stay valid until December 31, 2026, with the anticipation of hold depending connected vacancies.
Short-term contracts
A pointsman is liable for the manual cognition of the way switches, known arsenic points, and the signals utilized to safely usher trains done yards and junctions, and assists the Station Master successful shunting and different operations needed for smooth, accident-free bid movement.
After enactment to the information category, the candidates volition acquisition the afloat archetypal grooming prescribed for pointsmen and person contractual remuneration. Only upon palmy completion of the grooming volition they beryllium posted successful the field. Those who neglect to wide the grooming oregon are recovered unsuitable volition beryllium relieved immediately, with payments made arsenic per contractual presumption for the duration of their training.
Unions rise information concerns
The determination has drawn disapproval from unions. All India Railwaymen Federation (AIRF) nationalist president N. Kannaiah said that unions person consistently opposed the engagement of unit connected contract, including the caller deployment of AC mechanics successful air-conditioned coaches.
The AIRF is the largest federation of employees’ unions successful the railways, helium said.
“Allowing unit connected short-term contracts to run captious information systems is simply a menace to safety. They person nary semipermanent accountability oregon responsibility. After their declaration ends, they permission with afloat cognition of signals and different delicate information infrastructure,” Dr. Kannaiah said.
CRS warning
The determination comes against the backdrop of the recommendations made by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, pursuing his enquiry into the rear-end collision betwixt the Bagmati Express and a stabled goods bid astatine Kavarapettai presumption successful the Chennai Division of Southern Railway connected October 11, 2024.
Classifying the incidental arsenic “sabotage”, the CRS highlighted concerns implicit the engagement of insiders and stressed the request for the Railways’ quality helping to fortify interior vigilance. He besides recommended a reappraisal of the signifier of deploying contractual unit successful safety-critical areas.
“The engagement and vulnerability of contractual unit for the attraction and cognition of captious information features and systems indispensable beryllium reviewed arsenic a precedence and reduced to minimal successful the abbreviated term, and to zero successful the agelong term,” helium said successful his study to the Railway Board.
