Title - Unplanned cost cutting measures

The railway move to cut staff as part of its cost cutting exercise to make the division profitable, came in for criticism from experts who termed the steps as short term in nature and without proper planning. “Instead of resorting to steps that pose difficulty to travelers, the railways should focus on increasing earnings by attracting more freight orders. Staff pruning will further derail the functioning, as currently there is inadequate staff,” P. Raju, former railway official and ex-general manager, RITES Urban Transport, said. Meanwhile, there are charges that even as there is a shortage of personnel to be deployed in ticket counters, some commercial clerks are being used to do administrative work. Though there are five ticket counters at the main entrance, only two remain open most of the time, leading to long queues, especially now that the vacation has started. Similarly, only one of the counters at the eastern entrance functions throughout though there are provisions for three.Another action was the withdrawal of the vehicle allowed for the area manager on February 15. “While the topmost regional official does not have an official vehicle, many others having lower ranks like ADMA and EMA are enjoying the facility,” a railway official said.