Rahul’s claim on ‘overworked’ loco pilots false: Govt

New Delhi, July 10

Advertisement

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the average duty hours duration of loco pilots was less than 8 hours in June.

Amid a controversy triggered by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent meeting with loco pilots in Delhi, Vaishnaw, in a statement on X, gave a point-by-point rebuttal to Rahul’s allegations saying duty hours of loco pilots were carefully monitored and rest was provided after trips.

Rahul had alleged loco pilots were forced to work for 16 hours a day. Vaishnaw, without naming Rahul, accused the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha of spreading misinformation and doing theatrics to demotivate loco pilots. Vaishnaw said only under exigencies does the trip duration exceed the prescribed hours.