Southern Railway Reverses Controversial Breathalyser Circular

The Thiruvananthapuram division of Southern Railway has rescinded a circular banning certain dietary items that skewed breathalyser tests, affecting train crew deployment. After backlash from the loco pilots' union deeming the ban unjustifiable, the February 18 circular was withdrawn, facilitating smoother train operations.

The Southern Railway's Thiruvananthapuram division has retracted a circular that prohibited certain dietary items, which had been causing misleading breathalyser test results and disrupting crew assignments and train operations.

In an official communication dated February 20, the division informed relevant authorities of the withdrawal of the February 18 "extraordinary circular" on breathalyser tests.

According to railway sources, the loco pilots' union expressed dissatisfaction with the circular, labeling it as legally unjustifiable, as the circular cited false positives in breathalyser tests due to items like soft drinks and medications, which were later contradicted by blood sample analyses.