New Delhi: Civil Services officers from 13 railway zones and around 60 divisions have submitted written memorandums running into more than 250 pages against the merger of railway services, alleging the decision was "unilateral" and will negatively impact the safety of trains operations. Big brown envelopes containing representations against the merger of eight services into the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) have been delivered to the desks of the railway board chairman, the railway minister, DoPT secretary, cabinet secretary and even the prime minister on Wednesday and Thursday.
The railways in a press release announcing the merger had stated that the reform was undertaken with "overwhelming support and consensus of railway officers, at a two-day conference 'Parivartan Sangoshthi' held on December 7 and 8, 2019." However, the representations alleged that in the 'Parivartan Sanghoshti', 12 groups were formed, each headed by general managers (GMs) and the decision was taken "to suit the Engineering Service officers over their civil service counterparts". Around 2,500 civil services officers will be affected by the merger.
