Three lakh vacancies, slashed funds, ignored requests: Oppn slams govt

Mallikarjun Kharge. File pic

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday, in a series of tweets, noted that three lakh posts are vacant in railways. Also, posts at high levels whose recruitment is through the Prime Minister's Office are also lying vacant for the past nine years, he added.

Posting an official letter, Kharge said the principal chief operating manager of South Western Railway Zone sought repair of the signalling system on February 8, 2023, citing an incident in Mysuru in which two trains averted a collision. "Why did the Ministry of Railways not act on it," he asked.

"According to CAG, 79 per cent funding was reduced in Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh when Rs 20,000 crore was to be made available every year. Why has there been a huge decline in the amount of track renewal works?" Why has the government implement anti-collision system Kavach only on 4 per cent routes, he asked.

Meanwhile, the NCP on Sunday sought to know why the measures suggested in the 2022 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report to prevent train disasters were not implemented by the Centre, and asked if this non-adherence was not enough for Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to resign. The CAG report revealed 24 factors responsible for derailments, but has the railway minister read it, asked NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto.

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