Railway Safety Alarm: Contractual Staff in Spotlight

A M Choudhary of the Railway Safety Commission reported that the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express accident in 2024 was due to sabotage and warned against using contractual staff for safety-critical tasks. The Railway Ministry stated contractual staff handle non-critical tasks, but concerns remain about safety and privatization risks.

A M Choudhary, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle), highlighted sabotage as the cause of the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express accident in 2024, cautioning against contractual hiring for critical safety roles.

The Railway Ministry reassured that contractual workers are only used for non-critical tasks under supervision, but the safety debate continues.

The Indian Railways Signal & Telecom Maintainers' Union (IRSTMU) demanded permanent hires for safety roles to ensure passenger safety, raising alarms about ongoing contractual hiring pilots.