RailEnquiry

HYDERABAD: It was around 2.30 am on the morning of February 1, 2013, that he says he took over as general manager of South Central Railway. "I am in-charge of the division," claims this person. All this is news to the officials in SCR as the Union railway ministry has given South Western Railway general manager Ashok Kumar Mittal the temporary charge of SCR after G N Asthana superannuated on January 31, 2012.N Chandrasekhara Sharma, deputy chief personnel manager, SCR, is the pretender to the high office. An Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer of the 1993 batch, Sharma claims he took over as SCR GM in the early hours of February 1 and has been operating from his official residence in South Lallaguda, Secunderabad, since then. "I am forced to operate from my residence as being superior officer to chief personnel officer K Shesha Sai (by virtue of 'becoming' the GM), I can no more work from my old cabin in Rail Nilayam. I have written to the authorities concerned to provide me proper accommodation," a hallucinating Sharma told STOI.

Sharma claims that there are security threats to several SCR properties. "After the twin bomb blasts at Dilsukhnagar, there is a threat to Rail Nilayam (SCR headquarters), as well as Secunderabad, Kachiguda and Nampally railway stations. Everyday, I am reviewing through wireless controls the safety and security of the railways apart from performing other duties," he claims.

Before 'taking' over as GM of SCR, the officer said he had been discharging the duties of GM (Human Resources Development) for the past four years after HK Padhee retired as GM in June 2009. "As GM (HRD), I solved many issues like union problems. When the panel for appointing regular GM was prepared, my name was seventh in the list. But others managed to get the GM's post," Sharma said.

Sources in SCR said Sharma was nominated to attend a special course on 'e-governance and IT Security' to be held from October 15 to November 23 in Lucknow and was communicated through a letter on October 11. But he dashed off a letter to the CPO of SCR the very next day stating that he had attended all these courses when he was Sr EDPM while working in Palghat, Madurai and Guntakal and had done 25 projects in the past 10 years. He said the training programme was meant for senior grade officers and not for a higher grade officer like him. Even he suggested a name to be sent for the course.

But when Sharma did not turn up in Lucknow as directed, he was issued a show cause notice by the chief personnel officer on January 31 seeking reasons for not attending the duties. It was in response to this letter that Sharma claimed he had become the GM. The SCR has stopped his salary for the past three months as he did not report to duty.

When contacted, chief personnel officer Shesha Sai said Sharma had been absent from work for the past four months and issued a memo. "Since he is a class I officer, any action against him has to be taken by the Railway Board. We have sent a report to the Board. The Board will take a decision whether to chargesheet him or ask him to attend the medical board," Shesha Sai said.