Railway GM given additional charge of two zones for three months; Appointments are probably going to be delayed
Indian Railways: The Railway Ministry has given additional charge of Western and South Central zones to the General Managers of South Coastal and Central Railways for three months. Retired General Managers and senior officials have expressed concern over the delay in appointments to the post of GM.
The Ministry of Railways had also placed the additional charge of the South Central and the Western zones in the hands of the General Managers of the Central and the South Coastal Railways for three months. Experts are perturbed by this. The ministry could not complete the selection process within the deadline, say experts. Appointments would be delayed for this. The Ministry of Railways officials had, on the other hand, insisted that the ongoing selection process is in full swing. It is done earlier too. The GM of the South Central and Western zones is retiring on 30 June 2025.
The Railway Ministry said in an order on June 27 that Sandeep Mathur, General Manager of South Coastal Railway, is being given additional charge of the post of General Manager of South Central Railway for a period of three months or till any regular appointment is made, whichever is earlier. Arun Kumar Jain, the current GM of South Coast Railway, is retiring on June 30, 2025. In another order, the ministry has handed over the charge of General Manager of Western Railway Ashok Kumar Mishra to General Manager of Central Railway, Dharamveer Meena for three months. Because Mishra is also retiring on June 30.
Retired General Managers and senior officials have expressed concern over the delay in appointments to the GM post. A retired official said that the retirement of two GMs was fixed. It did not happen suddenly. It is clear from this that the ministry did not implement the selection process on time. It is not that the railways lack competent senior officers to become GM.
Another retired senior official said that the Railway Ministry has not made adequate preparations. Two General Managers are vacating the office on regular retirement and the ministry was well aware of this fact, but it did nothing. Many experts say that the decision of GM should be made three months in advance and the decision of DRM should be made six months in advance. They should be given intensive training and be familiar with the requirements of current management. Both the posts are important for Indian Railways.
Experts also said that the new GM should get at least two to three months to work with the outgoing GM for the benefit of the area. In relay races too, runners run for at least 50 metres, and then hand over the baton to the next runner.
