Tamil Nadu, Kerala MPs Oppose Appointment Of Southern Railways Staff From Gorakhpur

The MPs demanded the Union government to take back the order and MP Venkatesan also threatened to conduct a protest if the order is not taken back. 

Southern Railways (Representative Picture)

Chennai: The Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu and Kerala have opposed the induction of Assistant Loco Pilots to Southern Railways through Gorakhpur Railway Recruitment Board in North Eastern Railway zone and keeping the candidates selected through south zone on wait. 

In a letter to Union Minister For Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, Su Venkatesan said, "I am shocked to know that 51 vacancies of Assistant Loco Pilots in Southern Railway were filled with RRB candidates of Gorakhpur of North Eastern Railway in Uttar Pradesh by keeping 60 candidates selected by RRB with higher cut off marks in wait." 

He said, "Filling the vacancies of railways from other railways will hamper the employment opportunities of railway candidates and disturb democratic atmosphere in a country with different nationalities."

The MP also recalled that Southern Railways provided employment to 60% technicians who wrote the exam in Hindi and 13% in ALP have gone to Hindi speaking candidates. "Hence, bringing 54 candidates from Gorakhpur to Southern Railway in ALP category will ignite the fire of an ill feeling among south Indians apart from affecting the employment opportunities of standby candidates in RRB, Chennai,” he said.

Following this, Kerala MP AM Arif too wrote to Southern Railways General Manager John Thomas and said that the steps taken by SR to appoint candidates selected by RRB is against the principle of natural justice and it can derail the recruitment process. 

Stating these, the MPs demanded the Union government to take back the order. The MP Venkatesan also threatened to conduct a protest if the order is not taken back.