Railway TTEs likely to get facilities denied 87 years ago

CHANDIGARH:Announcing its speedy recovery from the ‘colonial hangover’, the Railway Ministry formed a three-member committee with a mandate to decide on revoking the 87-year-old decision of the British (that of booting out ticket checkers from the running staff of the railways) within the next three months.

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 1

Announcing its speedy recovery from the ‘colonial hangover’, the Railway Ministry formed a three-member committee with a mandate to decide on revoking the 87-year-old decision of the British (that of booting out ticket checkers from the running staff of the railways) within the next three months.

The Railway Board had, on December 10, issued a circular to the Principal Chief Commercial Managers of all zonal railways to provide facilities for the ticket checking staff at the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) rest house. “It has now been decided that the facilities provided in TTE rest house shall be made on a par with that of running rooms of drivers/gaurds,” read the circular.

When this corresponded approached the Chief Ticket Inspector (Line In-Charge), he mentioned the Indian Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organization (IRTCSO), which is a registered trade union representing the ticket checking staff of the Indian Railways. “This has been IRTCSO’s demand since 1965,” he said. GS Vidyarthi, Chief Ticket Inspector and president of IRTCSO, Ambala Division, was elated at the circular. He said, “We had demanded a clean, AC room along with a garden, a cook, RO water, proper lodging facilities and an access to the library. Hopefully, our demands will be met.”

About three months ago, on September 5, the ticket-checking staff had organised a programme, “Manthan”, which saw the participation of 4,500 staffers, said Vidyarthi. “It was there that we took up the issue of the inclusion of the ticket checkers in the running staff and 109 MPs wrote about our concerns to the PM and the Railway Minister,” he added.

Giving a brief account about their gallant participation in assisting freedom fighters, Vidyarthi said, “TTEs were an integral part of the Chauri Chaura incident that took place in 1922. The British accused them of helping freedom fighters. Often ticket checkers made exceptions to assist revolutionaries, sometimes making them travel secretly, ferrying their epistles from one place to another and at times even hiding them at their restrooms. They even hid Sukhdev once. When the British set up and inquiry, they were found guilty and they were shunted from the running staff in 1931.”

Benefits of inclusion in running staff

The running staff of the Railways follow a strict 8-hour shift, which will relieve the TTEs of their long, on-train shifts.
Will be entitled to three free return trips to anywhere in the country.
30 per cent of their basic pay will be added to their basic salary to avail first-class travel.
TTEs, who now get Rs 500 to Rs 800 (at senior level) as daily allowance, will get Rs 100 a mile.
Better rest houses and a 30 per cent salary hike.
Post-retirement, they will get 50 per cent of basic salary, with additional 30 per cent and the eligible DA.

Strength at city station

At the Chandigarh railway station, there are 40 TTEs (on-train/in line), of which five are women. The 40 TTEs are presently manning three pairs of regular trains (Shatabdi, Sadbhawana and Intercity train from Amritsar to Chandigarh), along with five pairs of weekly trains to Goa, Kochi, Madhurai, Mumbai, and Bangalore.