Station Masters across India have threatened to go on a day long strike in May mainly because of the 25 per cent vacancy that needs to be filled which is causing more than expected workload for them.
Station masters, who fall under the safety category, are not just someone who has to sit at the railway station and monitor train movement but also the first responders and point person between people and railway administration in case of accidents.
This was decided at a meeting held in Delhi a couple of days back wherein the station masters threatened to take their agitation nationwide for at least a day in May.
In Mumbai, on the Central and Western Railways, there is around 10-12 per cent vacant seats availble to fulfill the position. There are railway stations on both CR and WR where station masters are not available at night, thus an important railway personnel being inaccessible for public in case of an untoward incident.
According to station masters who are part of All India Station Masters Association (AISMA), the approved posts on the Central Railway are around 975 or so out of which there is a vacancy for 130. Likewise on the Western Railway there is a vacancy of close to 100 or so out of the sanctioned strength of around 790 station masters.
"There are vacancies that needs to be filled up as station masters have an important role. The working hours extend to 10-12 hours which becomes very challenging," said a station master on condition of anonymity.
Some of the railway stations in Mumbai on both CR and WR which does not have a station master include Masjid, Sandhurst Road, Matunga, Sion, Mankhurd, Reay Road, Sewri, Nahur, Dahisar, Ram Mandir, Khar Road, Matunga, Mahalaxmi, Prabha devi, Marine Lines etc. The problem here is that there aren’t staffs available to work in the next shift which makes things difficult in case of issues faced by passengers.
As an additional role the chief booking staff is given the responsibility to address issues in times of emergency.
DT Ghanchi, member, All India Station Masters Association said, "At present there are more than 5000-6000 vacancies for station masters in the country, due to this, the workload on the other station masters is increasing. There are issues regarding pension schemes and allowances as well."
The AISMA claims that for the time being there will be a one-day strike. And if the demand is not met, there will be a bigger agitation.
