Motormen threaten ‘burqa andolan’ against surveillance in motor cabs

The motormen on Central Railway have threatened a ‘burqa andolan’ later this week to protest the GPS-cum-CCTV based system installed inside motor cabs last week

Mumbai: The motormen on Central Railway (CR) have threatened a ‘burqa andolan’ later this week to protest the GPS-cum-CCTV based system installed inside motor cabs last week. Their endeavour is backed by railway unions. On Monday, the groups met inside the motormen’s lobby at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to discuss the need for constant surveillance itself and the challenge ahead.

The motormen are waiting for Ganeshotsav to end and have stated that if the administration does not revoke the decision by September 29, they will strike work. “Our core committee will meet over the next two days when we will decide about the andolan,” said Santosh Karle, secretary, CRMA (HT PHOTO)

Before the meeting, a notice was put up inside the lobby that read: “The Central Railway Motormen Association (CRMA) objects the idea of installing CCTVs right in front of motormen’s faces. This is putting mental stress on the motormen. If this is not withdrawn, then all motormen will wear a burqa and protest.”

The motormen are waiting for Ganeshotsav to end and have stated that if the administration does not revoke the decision by September 29, they will strike work. “Our core committee will meet over the next two days when we will decide about the andolan,” said Santosh Karle, secretary, CRMA. “We will meet the administration on Tuesday and protest the infringement of motormen’s fundamental right and privacy,” added Sanjay Joshi, head of Rail Kamgaar Sena.

“It is affecting the motormen’s concentration and focus. We have asked the administration to remove the device, or else, we will go on strike after the Ganpati festival,” said Vivek Sisodia, head of Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh.

The device – advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) -- is barely two inches away from motormen’s faces, the front camera recording their every move. According to the railways, this has been set up (as a trial) to ensure a safe run, and watch out for staff allegedly driving while speaking on the phones in peak hours. There is however no data to prove such occurrences in the past. Apart from this, both CR and WR run with 94-96 per cent punctuality every month. There is however, a concern of an average of eight to nine lives lost every day due to trespassing, which this device cannot help curtail. The railways also register six failures – emergency chain pulling, track defects, opening of level crossing – every month which the surveillance system cannot detect.

The device can only catch a driver bypassing a signal, which leads to accidents. In railway parlance, it is called signal passing at danger (SPAD) incidents; between two to five mishaps occur every month.

Rail unions are building their case, insisting that hardworking motormen “often skip meals to fulfil their duties” and are being unfairly taken to task. The motormen claimed that they have to complete 104 work hours in 14 days after which any extra hour goes into overtime. However due to the vacancies in their cadre which stands at around 350, they are compelled to work overtime. There are around 750 motormen maneuvering the local trains on CR’s Main, Harbour and Trans-harbour lines.

The unions pointed out that the administration was ignoring genuine issues such as non-functioning ACs, improper seats for motormen and leaking roofs during rain.

Allaying fears of any future protest, Shivraj Manaspure, chief PRO, Central Railway, said, “We have had meetings with them and there will be no strike by the motormen.”

Speaking in favour of the new system, a CR official said, “The device will generate a loud audio alert when it fails to detect movement of the motorman maneuvering the train. It will ensure that he is alert at all times.”

Additionally, the railways will also install crew voice and video recording (CVVR) system in local trains. The CR has placed orders for CVVR system in 322 driving cabs of EMU rakes (local trains) on August 7 and received samples on September 18 which is still under approval stage.