ER GM Gitika Pandey interacts with frontline staff, reviews safety
Kolkata, Aug 5
Gitika Pandey, who took over as General Manager of Eastern Railway on August 1, informed officers and staff about the strict "Zero Tolerance" policy on safety-related matters.
She was addressing over 780 officers and frontline staff involved in train operations in ER's four divisions, Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol and Malda, through video conferencing on Wednesday.
She instructed all personnel to ensure meticulous compliance with prescribed rules, strengthen field supervision and promptly address highlighted issues. Those who attended included station masters, train managers, transportation inspectors, shunting masters, pointsmen, gatemen and operating officers.
Pandey addressed safety issues across train operations, Level Crossing (LC) gates, working procedures and field safety practices. Ground realities were reviewed during direct interactions with field staff across all divisions.
Brijbhusan Tiwari, sectional traffic inspector from the Malda division, reported proper securing arrangements throughout his jurisdiction during the 15-day safety drive, staff counselling on non-interlocked LC gate operations and on-the-spot counselling after reviewing live voice recordings between station managers and gatemen.
Arun Kumar Saha, traffic inspector at Rampurhat in the Howrah division, reported 15 non-interlocked LC gates in his section, with six under the Moregram station alone. He advocated their progressive conversion to interlocked gates to reduce the coordination burden on station managers.
He confirmed staff counselling and noted that gatemen are strictly instructed to distinctly repeat "Gate is closed" when exchanging private numbers with the station master as a positive confirmation before train movement.
Abdul Rehman Gazi, station superintendent at Deula under the Sealdah division, reported that platform lighting is not connected to the traction power supply, leaving platforms in darkness during local power failures and adversely affecting passenger safety and station operations.
In the Asansol division, Vinay Kumar, traffic inspector at Parbelia, highlighted 15 non-interlocked LC gates between the Topsi and Baraboni sections, recommending their closure by replacement with Limited Height Subways (LHS), Road Height Subways (RHS) or direct conversion to interlocked gates.
All recommendations and suggestions were carefully noted, and the General Manager assured action in due course. This unique outreach programme by the new General Manager, allowing frontline staff to state their problems openly, has been lauded by officials.
"Normally, such staff are unable to speak their minds in front of officers, and here they were encouraged to place their problems before the General Manager. This was a proactive approach to identifying grass-roots operational bottlenecks and resolving infrastructure challenges," one of them said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who travels on Eastern Railway daily, this gives me some hope. The platform lighting issue at Deula is something I've experienced firsthand—it's terrifying when there's a power cut and you're stuck in the dark. Good that the station superintendent spoke up. More power to Gitika Pandey! 💪
Respect for this initiative. Indian Railways has a massive safety deficit, and addressing frontline concerns is the right first step. But let's not get carried away—we've seen many such drives before that fizzle out. The real test will be whether these recommendations actually get implemented on the ground. Actions speak louder than video conferences!
The "Gate is closed" protocol being strictly enforced is such a small thing but makes a huge difference. My uncle was a gateman for 30 years in Asansol, and he always said the human error factor is the biggest risk. Glad to see new leadership taking this seriously. Also appreciate the open communication—these staff members are the backbone of our railway system.
Impressive. As someone who's seen railway operations in the US, this level of direct engagement between the GM and field staff is genuinely progressive. The non-interlocked LC gates issue is particularly concerning—modernizing those should be a priority. Good to see Indian Railways taking a proactive approach.
She talked to over 780 officers—that's serious outreach! But honestly, I'm a bit skeptical. Every new GM comes with big promises about safety, and then we see the same old issues continue. Let's hope Gitika Pandey's approach is different. The specific
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.