New Delhi: Safety has become a major concern for women loco pilots as they have to attend to technical glitches, and check wagons, and goods train coaches alone in open lines and secluded tracks during the night duties which make them insecure in those deserted places.
Highlighting their plight, women loco pilots told ETV Bharat that they approached railway officials, and the railway ministry and wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's Office regarding these issues but the condition has not yet changed.
Elaborating on the issues, Ashima, Assistant Loco Pilot, told ETV Bharat, “Women drivers feel unsafe during late evening duties because several times trains stop at sidings which are situated far from the platform. If a woman wants to go to a platform or nearby spot, she has to think twice because of her safety and security due to dark areas which are very unsafe for women.”
“We have approached railway officials, and the ministry and written a letter to the PMO regarding our plight and demanded the solution but nothing has happened yet. Being women, loco drivers are often afraid about safety due to unscheduled and night duty,” she said.
“The women drivers have to fix alarm chain pulling, technical glitches, check the wagon and coaches alone in open lines, secluded tracks, and forest areas during the night duties which make them victims of harassment and raise a concern of safety,” the letter mentioned.
Explaining the work pressure, they said most of the time they replace heavy pipes in case of CRO pressure leakage. “Sometimes, we have to remove dead animal bodies from tracks which is not easy work for a woman driver,” a woman loco pilot, on condition of anonymity, told ETV Bharat.
Echoing similar sentiments, Reena Singh, Loco Pilot Goods, told ETV Bharat, “It is quite obvious that a woman does not have the same physical strength compared to a male despite this fact women loco pilots have to operate hard mechanical parts of locomotives which require more strength such as applying and releasing of hand breaks, fixing brake binding, and tie hanging parts.”
“We often get calls at night for duty but we don’t get pick-up and drop facilities. Traveling at night from home to the station is so scary for a woman but we have to travel as we don’t have another option,” Singh said.
The women drivers requested the railway board to improve working conditions and ensure a safe environment for them or allow them to opt for another department as a one-time cadre change option but nothing has happened yet.
KC James, Secretary General, All India Loco Running Staff Association told ETV Bharat, “The situation is so grim not only for loco running staff but other women staff tool as they have to perform night patrolling, women working at LC gates in the nights in remote areas, and whose women working at station they have to walk half km to handover memo to the loco driver at night time but no one bothers to provide safe working environment for them.”
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday informed Rajya Sabha, “A total of 2,153 women loco pilots are working in Indian Railways as of November 1. Loco pilots are important members of the Railway family who play pivotal roles in moving passenger and goods traffic safely and efficiently. The railway is committed to ensuring proper working conditions for loco pilots. For improvement of working conditions of loco running staff, several measures have been taken such as various safety drives and special counselling programs are regularly organized for checking the alertness and safety awareness among the running staff.”
“There are dedicated and separate rooms for women loco pilots in the Running Rooms where they can take rest at the outstation,” Vaishnaw said.
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