RailEnquiry

Western Railway’s motormen instructor, who had kept the city’s lifeline running during the recent motormen’s strike by preparing a back-up team of 78 drivers, has quit his job.

He has alleged harassment and boycott from his colleagues and says he and his family fear assault for keeping trains running. He has written to home minister RR Patil and the Human Rights Commission seeking protection.

On July 20, thousands of passengers were stranded during the evening peak hours when around 200 members of the Western Railway Motormen’s Association abruptly went on ‘sick leave’. Atmaram Jagannath Londhe, 57, chief loco inspector (electrical), said he had been assigned the job of counselling motormen and running local trains. “I was instrumental in forming a back-up team of 78 drivers to handle strikes and emergency situations by preparing a contingency plan,” he said.

On the day of the strike, Londhe was at Churchgate station manning the chart of emergency drivers so that commuters are not too inconvenienced. “When I joined duty on July 23, I came to know that most of my colleagues had boycotted me after a decision taken by WR Motormen’s Association,” Londhe said.

“In fact, 95% of WR motormen do not want to participate in any strike. It is a handful of powerful people affiliated to the association who force them to do so,” he added.

“There are earlier instances too when the association office-bearers had threatened other motormen who had plied trains during earlier strikes,” he said.

Londhe, a resident of Bhandup (East), took voluntary retirement on July 31 and wrote a complaint letter a day before. “I am under immense stress and worried about my family’s safety,” he said in the letter, also addressed to the railway bosses and the rail police chief.

WR motormen’s association spokesperson PN Gupta refuted Londhe’s claims.

“Nothing of this sort has happened. He must have applied for retirement before the strike and is unnecessarily blaming us,” said Gupta.