Manpower crunch hits performance

POST TIME: 29 August, 2019 00:00 00 AM

Railway has over the years emerged as one of the most dependable modes of transport in terms of safety and cost effectiveness across the world, but the scenario is different for Bangladesh Railways (BR) thanks to multiple issues including age-old engines, shabby and rickety carriages, increasing number of accidents for poor maintenance and manpower crunch. The Independent has made a 5-part series report on the state-run organisation. The third part contains manpower shortage

Rafiqul Islam Azad, Dhaka

Manpower crunch hits performance

The Bangladesh Railway (BR) is facing an acute shortage of manpower, which has been almost halved in the last three-and-a-half decades, sources in BR and railways ministry said. After the War of Liberation in 1971, the number of BR employees was about 60,000 to 70,000. Later, Enam Committee cut it down to 40,000–45,000. But the number has further dwindled to only 25,000 against its sanctioned manpower of 40,000, said a senior official of the ministry.

The official also said the BR is currently executing about 46 development projects and struggling due to a shortage of manpower affecting its operational activities. “Each of these projects needs certain amount of manpower, including a project director. And when some people are engaged in the projects, the operational activities are being hampered due to a shortage of manpower,” he explained.

Records show that the total working manpower of the state-run organisation -- divided into two zones (East and West) -- is 25,570, while 14,705 posts have remained vacant over the years against the sanctioned posts of 40,275. Among them, 12,629 are working against the sanctioned posts of 19,647 in the East Zone, said an East Zone official based in Chattogram.

“There was no recruitment in BR from 1985 to 2009. This was the era marked by the golden handshake programme of the government. Thousands of railway employees left their jobs under that scheme, creating a vacuum in the sector,” said another senior official, preferring anonymity.

About 10,000 railway employees relinquished their jobs in three years (1992–1994) alone under the golden handshake programme during the BNP rule, said the official. Many of the operational activities, especially in the field level, are being hampered due to manpower crunch, said the sources, adding that this is hampering the quality of passenger services. Some people have been recruited after the present government came to power in 2010. But a large number of sanctioned posts still remain vacant, said an official.

Another official said many employees were compelled to do overtime duties and several thousand people worked under the muster roll policy to maintain operational activities. He also said a proposal had been sent to the railways ministry and expected that recruitments would begin soon.

“The BR will be able to recruit new people against 5,163 posts, while the rest of the posts will be filled up by giving promotions,” he added. An official based in Chattogram said the recruitment of Class-III and IV employees were done by the general manager (GM) of the respective zones, while the recruitment of Class-I and II officials were done through the Public Service Commission.

When contacted, railways ministry secretary Md Mofazzel Hossain said operational activities are done with about 40 per cent of the sanctioned posts remaining vacant.