Subordinates on dharna say engineer forces them to work at his home and tabela like menials
Subordinates on dharna say engineer forces them to work at his home and tabela like menialsu00a0
Railway employees affiliated to the National Railway Mazdoor Union (NRMU) are on an indefinite dharna outside the office of the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) at CST.
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From railway men to doodhwallas: This tabela belonging to J P Shoke, section engineer, Kolsewadi section, Kalyan, has become the cause of a railway protest. Officials sat on an indefinite dharna at CST yesterday, alleging that they were forced to work on the tabela, which is in the premises of the railway quarters. Pic/ATUL KAMBLE |
The employees are protesting against Senior Section Engineer of the Kolsewadi section, Kalyan, JP Shoke, accusing him of running a tabela in the railway quarters allotted to him, and forcing railway employees of the engineering department to work at his home and the tabela.
Shoke is further being accused of threatening carpenters, masons, fitters and helpers in the engineering department with suspension and removal from service.
He makes employees work in his home like personal servants. At any given time there are 15 to 20 men working in his house doing stuff like cleaning and painting. He began keeping cows and buffaloes in his quarters six months back. He forces workers to milk the animals, procure fodder and even clean the cowdung, and the gutters attached to the farm, when they get choked, said an employee.
The administration and senior officers are petrified of him because he is in the habit of filing cases under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, said an office bearer of the NRMU.
On January 6, the employees refused point blank to work under him. They have also asked the administration to transfer him. However, Shoke leveled counter charges against the employees and forwarded it to the senior officials. The employees want the administration to take action against him and transfer him.
Divisional Railway Manager JN Lal said, There are no men sitting in dharna before my office, and disconnected the phone.
Shoke told MiD DAY that he is ready to face any inquiry. Do you think any railway employee will work at my home? I do keep animals at home but it is I who take care of them. The union has deliberately done this to me because I have exposed some of their wrongdoings. I am not against the employees. In fact, some of them have also been rewarded for their performance during my tenure, Shoke added.
