Title - ‘Bansal must quit if staff morale is to be maintained’

‘Keeping posts vacant from bottom to top give room for corruption and discrimination’

Leave alone the Opposition, the railway employees are demanding resignation of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, saying it was important to maintain the morale of the staff for ensuring smooth and safe running of trains.All-India Railwaymen’s Federation general secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra has shot off a letter to Cabinet Secretary and expressed anguish at the political backup for the Minister when people found guilty of accepting just Rs. 10 as bribe stood suspended.

‘No double standards’

Demanding resignation of Mr. Bansal in the wake of his nephew’s arrest for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs. 90 lakh for a post in the Railway Board, Mr. Mishra said there should be no double standards in tackling corruption and he should not continue while the inquiry was under way.

He said the Minister should first come clean and should the CBI give him a clean bill he would have no objection to his elevation even to the post of President.

The expose had demoralised the 14-lakh Railway employees who work honestly round the clock and even sacrificing their lives to ensure safety of trains and passengers. “It is the duty of the administration to keep the morale of the working force high and that was possible by ensuring that those at the lower level were not subjected to injustice and repression.”

In his letter, Mr. Mishra spoke against the practice of keeping posts vacant right from the bottom to the top which gave room for corruption and discrimination. He demanded that all vacant posts be filled forthwith so that there was no room for speculation.

The top posts should be filled at least one month in advance as in the case of Army and other crucial administrative posts for a transparent system and to avoid the turn of events that had brought a bad name to the Railways.


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