The Union Ministry of Railway’s decision to engage ex-servicemen as temporary stand-ins to fill vacancies in the Railway Protection Force (RPF) till permanent recruitments are made may serve as a shot in the arm for the force in the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division.
The RPF in the Thiruvananthapuram division has an allocated strength of 462 personnel, out of which 76 posts remain vacant at present, severely handicapping its various enforcement operations. The provision to temporarily engage ex-servicemen will help the RPF to paper over that shortage for the time being.
“The process to rope in ex-servicemen for the vacancies is about to kick-start shortly. The entire recruitment process from the notification of vacancies to the training of fresh recruits may take up to a year and hence this temporary arrangement is a practical solution,” said a senior RPF official.
Database
He said the State government’s Directorate of Sainik Welfare with a comprehensive database of serving and retired service personnel has assured that it would supply enough persons to meet the demands of the RPF. From youngsters fresh out of their service under the Short Service Commission to those retired after with considerable service are likely to be made available as per the specific requirements of the RPF.
Among the many benefits, the temporary recruits are expected to bolster RPF’s escort service for the security of trains passing through the Thiruvananthapuram railway division considerably.
At present, the RPF deploys one to four personnel for the escort service and some trains are left without escorts for want of enough hands. The temporary recruits may help address this problem.
While passenger trains are escorted by one official, express trains are accompanied by two to four RPF officials. When a single RPF official is deployed, arms are not allowed.
The temporary arrangement may also help the RPF’s ongoing campaign ‘Life is precious’ against jaywalkers on railway tracks.