Applauding the commitment of the station masters to the efficient functioning of Indian Railways across the country, Union Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha on Tuesday assured them that all their legitimate demands would be considered favourably.
The glory that the Indian Railways have achieved today is because of the dedication and commitment of the railway employees. The station masters are like the army jawans who secure the border round the clock, while the station masters ensured a safe and secure journey to the passengers round the clock, he said.
Sinha was inaugurating the 'Sankalp Virat Mahasammelan' and 48th Central Biennial General Body Meeting of the All India Station Masters Association (AISMA) at Talkatora Stadium here.
About 4000 station masters from all the 16 zones of the railways, including the Konkan Railway, are attending the two-day biennial conference hosted by the Delhi Division.
Apart from Sinha, Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani, addressed the gathering during the conference.
Sinha appreciated the work the station masters have done for the security, safety and punctuality of the railways.
"This shows your commitment to the nation. You are working for the nation, hence the nation has also to recognise and respect your contribution, Sinha said assuring the station masters that all their legitimate demands would be considered favourably.
He also recalled the association of many great personalities, including former Prime Minister late Atal Behari Vajpayee, with the All India Station Masters Association.
He claimed that the investment in the infrastructural development of the railways that has taken place during the last four-and-a-half years has never happened before.
"It is because the Prime Minister Narendra Modi considers the railways as one of the prominent growth engines of the nation. However, as the railway network is expanding, the challenges are also increasing and we are boldly facing all the challenges," he added.
Earlier, AISMA secretary general Dhananjay Chandrate said that despite being a trade union the AISMA believes in positive agitations which was shown in practice recently when the station masters across the nation conducted 24 hours
hunger strike while discharging their duty.
He made a slew of demands - filling up 100 per cent vacancies and ensuring action plan for 'zero vacancies' in future, 15 per cent posts in station masters cadre to be restructured as Group-B Gazetted posts, all railway men to be excluded from the national pension scheme like the defence personnel and provision for centralised accommodation at major/convenient stations for them.
SOURCE - business-standard
