Gangmen: Overworked, ignored, railway’s foot soldiers march on

Coimbatore: Meenakshi (name changed), a track-maintainer employed at the Coimbatore Railway Junction, begins her work at 7am. It’s her duty to make sure that the trains run safely and smoothly through the stretch and for that she has to inspect the tracks till Podanur, a distance of 6.2km, often alone.
“My duties include cleaning tracks, checking on track ballast, ensuring tracks are not blocked, upkeep of safety equipment, checking for cracks and looking for damages in fishplates. I carry heavy equipment for repairing the tracks under the hot sun. I have to pass through isolated places, where drunkards have set up dens. I also come face to face with those who still prefer the open tracks to relieve themselves. They throw liquor bottles at me, make lewd comments and show obscene gestures. Though I feel afraid, I do not show it and flash the tools I carry. That deters them. After checking the tracks till Podanur, I walk back to the Coimbatore station as night creeps in,” the 32-year-old woman told TOI.

The Coimbatore Railway Junction employs six male track-maintainers and seven women including Meenakshi. They have only sympathy for their colleagues, who unhooked fishplates near Koothakudi Railway Station in Cuddalore district recently ‘to attract the attention of authorities’ to their plight.

The workers, who are also called gangmen, have to take care of 10 tracks located between North Coimbatore and Podanur, inspecting every inch on foot. The Coimbatore station had 40 track-maintainers till a few years ago. Now the 13-member team is expected to do their best.

MM Lakshmanan, a member of the team, said he cleans bushes and shrubs that grow along the tracks. “We ensure the safety of the passengers. But we are working under tremendous manpower shortage.”

The Salem Railway Division that employs 1,600 track-maintainers has more than 600 vacancies, divisional secretary of the Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU) M Govindan said. “The government is not keen on filling the vacancies,” he said. “Track-maintainers have to do night patrolling from 4pm to 12am and 12am to 8am. But railway has not given them shoes, raincoats and torches. They inspect the tracks at night for six to seven kilometres. They have to go for night patrol during the rainy season also. They are not provided night shelters to stay after the duty hours. Those who complete the night patrol at 12am are forced to sleep on the platforms. Small stations lack even toilet facilities.”

“Many of them work in the offices of the railway division as orderlies, though the railway board had issued an order against it,” Govindan added.