Nagpur rly scripts a new chapter in recruitments

An experiment in recruiting employees on compassionate ground carried out by the Nagpur division of the Central Railway has come up for much praise lately and may soon be emulated across the entire zone and later perhaps by the Indian Railways itself.

The general manager of the Central Railway has already appreciated the pattern and asked all divisional offices across the zone to emulate it.

The recruitment process at the Nagpur division involves holding a written examination and viva voce on a single day, generally within a month of the family losing its earning member.

A medical examination is held the very next day and an appointment letter is issued instantly. The advantage of the system besides its remarkable swiftness, says the personnel office of the division, is that it ensures complete transparency in the recruitment process.

T P V S S Rao, chief personnel officer (industrial relations), Mumbai, has directed divisional railway managers (DRMs) of the remaining four divisions of Mumbai, Pune, Bhusawal and Solapur to work out an identical method and clear the waiting list for recruitment on compassionate ground.

Rao has also asked the four DRMs to examine if their division was lagging behind in clearing cases of compassionate appointment and to tone up the same. In a circular dated September 12, Rao has praised the Nagpur division urging it to maintain the tempo of good work initiated by it.

The circular was in reply to a routine communique from the Nagpur DRM, Sunil Agrawal's office to the GM, Central Railway, informing him about the encouraging results of the new system adopted in the division.

The personnel branch of Nagpur division has been able to bring down the number of pending cases for compassionate appointment of dependants of deceased railway employees to zero. The division, when it introduced the system, was unsure of the success it would receive and held its first examination in August.

The concept is the brainchild of Manjulla Saxena, senior divisional personnel officer, bringing smile on the faces of 105 dependants of railway employees who have been recruited in group 'C' and group 'D' category (helpers, sweepers etc).

The personnel branch also arranged for proper coaching for the examination and kept the question paper as simple as possible. For group 'C' examinees, if someone flunks the exam, a second chance is given the next month.

According to the old practice followed by the railways, such exams are held once in three months and those who clear it are called for personal interview at the convenience of the personnel branch.

This process is time consuming and people have been forced to wait for months together for their appointment or rejection. Also, it encourages backroom dealings and possible corruption.

As against this, the personnel branch at Nagpur has reserved the 18th of every month for cases pertaining to appointments on compassionate grounds. A medical examination is done the very next day and posting orders issued instantly.

The work has also been appreciated by railwaymens' unions here.