The Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman, B Vinod Kumar, has written to Railway Minister Ashiwini Vaishnav to express his concern about the shortages of railway staff due to vacant posts. He pointed out that there are over 3.12 lakh vacancies in railways and over 30,000 alone in the South Central Railway (SCR), which is a vital railway zone that serves Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Shortage of staff due to vacant posts is severely hampering the railways’ functioning and compromising passenger safety. Vinod Kumar urged the Union minister to expedite and prioritise the recruitment process to fill the vacancies with competent persons who possess necessary skills and expertise to handle responsibilities associated with the role.
Several key positions, such as ticket collectors, station masters, locomotive pilots, track maintainers, and other technical staff, remain unfilled in SCR. This manpower shortage has led to numerous issues, including inadequate safety measures, lack of regular maintenance checks, resulting in potential safety hazards for both passengers and staff, delays and disruptions, overburdening staff, deteriorating service quality. Vinod Kumar suggested fast-tracking the recruitment process, ensuring adequate training facilities, attractive incentives and collaboration with educational institutions. These would not only address the staff shortages but also contribute to overall development and growth of SCR. It will enhance the operational efficiency, safety standards, and passenger experience, thereby aligning with the government’s vision of a robust and modern railway system.
