Railway Board urged to expedite cadre restructuring orders

M. Raghavaiah, general secretary of the South Central Railway (SCR) and South Coast Railway (ScoR) Employees Sangh, has expressed concern over the delay in issuing orders to revise the percentage ratio of various employee categories in Indian Railways, despite the Cadre Restructuring Committee (CRC) completing its work.

In a statement on Sunday, he said the delay was affecting promotion prospects and staff morale, particularly among Group ‘C’ supervisory employees.

The Railway Board constituted the CRC on April 25, 2022, to review and rationalise staffing patterns in Group ‘C’ categories across zonal railways, production units and centralised training institutes. Its tenure was later extended until December 31, 2025.

The committee was tasked with addressing promotion stagnation, improving operational efficiency and recommending changes to the cadre structure. However, the Railway Board is yet to issue orders on its recommendations.

Mr. Raghavaiah said Senior Section Engineers, Junior Engineers and Station Managers in Group ‘C’ supervisory cadres had limited promotional opportunities in Levels 7 and 8, making cadre restructuring crucial for career progression. Nearly 2,500 Junior Engineers in SCR and around 11,000 in ScoR stand to benefit from the revised cadre structure, he said.

Calling the delay unfortunate, he said the failure to issue formal orders despite the committee completing its work reflected poorly on the functioning of the Railway Board.