Following repeated complaints by motormen of falling victim to angry commuters, the Central Railway has decided to make a short documentary on the motormen’s work in order to make rail passengers aware of the critical nature of their job.
Of late, railway authorities have been flooded with complaints by motormen, who have been beaten up by commuters at stations in case of signal or unit failures, irrespective of the their role or fault.
Motormen have registered their strong protest before the administration. Going a step ahead, Western Railway motormen have demanded deployment of a jawan of the RPF or GRP to escort them every time.
“Passengers must understand that trains stops due to technical reasons, and not because of the motorman. Whenever such disruption occur, commuters should cooperate with them,” Praveen Bajpai, divisional president of Mumbai, Central Railway Majdoor Sangh (CRMS), said.
According to an official of the Central Railway, “The administration is planning to make a small documentary about the workings of its frontline staff. The documentary film will only be around three minute-long.”
Currently, there are around 700 motormen in the CR, who drive 1,510 services per day. There have been instances when trains get stuck at tracks due to various reasons and motormen and guards had to witness the wrath of passengers. Such complaints increase during the monsoon season.
Atul Rane, chief PRO, Central Railway, confirmed the development. “We are planning to make a documentary on our staff; it is still in the initial stages. This will help passengers understand the working and responsibilities shared by our staff.”