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Drdo

Disadvantages caused due to Bio-toilets introduced in the passenger coaches of Indian Railways – NFIR

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National Federation of Indian Railwaymen
3, CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI – 110 055

No.II/34/Pt.12

Dated: 10.8.2015

The Member Mechanical,
Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,
Sub: Disadvantages caused due to Bio-toilets introduced in the passenger coaches of Indian Railways reg.

The concept of bio-toilets in passenger carrying coaches was given shape by the Railway Ministry some time in the year 2011 when in a few coaches of’ passenger carrying mail/express trains, the bio-toilets were first introduced. NFIR understands that the Railway Ministry plans to fit bio-toilets in all passenger coaches by 2021.

Federation has been receiving number of complaints from the C&W Staff on malfunctioning vis-a-vis disadvantages of the bio-toilets. In this connection, NFIR having gone into the complaints received from the C&W Staff, noticed the following problems which may cause serious health hazards to staff.

The bio-toilet system is very sensitive. It has more than 100% chances of choking even with a bit of ‘Pan Gulka’ spitted in the toilets by the passengers knowing or unknowingly if not flushed properly by the passenger in the moving or stationary trains. Choking in these toilets also takes place due to throwing of Napkins, Cigarette buds, Gutka Pouch, Ladies pads, Plastic Water Boltles or their covers, liquor boltles and garbage of food stuff by the passengers resulting toilet pans and leading to public complaints. This situation has been causing tremendous pressure on staff for no fault of theirs.

The ball-valve provided which should function to drain out the waste to the ground by operating a connected pedal, never works due to faulty design. It is also reported that designs differ from one manufacturer to another, causing problems in procurement of spares.

The RDSO designed simplified standard mechanism to operate the ball valve be not compatible with old designs.

It has been further complained that improper trials of revised versions/modifications before implementation has been the real problem in procurement of spares and has been creating confusion among the Supervisors and Staff in the course maintenance.

The C&W Supervisors and staff working in pit lines have been facing lot of inconvenience during under gear maintenance, examing brake beam, brake
block hanger, brake shoe assermbly, brake blocks, Safety wire rope & their pins, bogies frames and also facing serious inconvenience in piston stroke brake cylinder which faces tank of quite a big size and leaves narrow gap.

Bio-toilets required inspection & maintenance to ensure working of Ball-Valve & its operation linked with p-trap and Hose Connector, mounted and fitted in the narrow gap of the top surface of the tank and trough floor of the coach. C&W Engineers and Staff have been put to lot of difficulties during maintenance and have been subjected to more physical mental stress in day-to-day working. While working are being compelled to inhale foul smells emanating from the choked tanks containing human waste and have started acquiring diseases.

The process of draining out or the choked tanks generates unbearable filthy smell creating inconvenience to other technical staff working on other under gears and at times diverts their attention and Compels to ignore the necessary safety repairs due to bad work environment.
At present we have this system only on 10% of the coaches, causing serious problems. ‘The height of the problems can be measured when 100% coaches will have this system and will it be possible for staff to function? The C&W Supervisors and Slaff are reported to have become like human scavengers. It is worth-mentioning that the Government of India had banned scavenging in the year 1993 consequent to the directions given by the Apex Court through various judgements.

Federation has further been given to understand that as per Railway Board’s guidelines effluent test is required to be conducted to over 5% population of each type of coaches at an interval of 3 months and is to be conducted by the expert laboratory Staff. Unfortunatety, the Railway Authorities, instead of using Lab Staff for the said purpose, have been pestering C&W Staff to collect effluent from Bio-Tanks for conducting test in some Depots like Gwalior, despite the fact that this job is not related to C&W staff.

Federation notes with disappointment that the ‘Bio-toilet’ system introduced on the I.R. is claimed to be environment friendly but it is not so. particularly for the C&W Supervisors & Technical Staff of Mechanical Department.

NFIR, therefore. requests the Railway Board (MM) to kindly see that thorough review is conducted before proceeding further for introducing Bio-toilets in coaches.

Yours faithfully,
sd/-

(Dr M. Raghavaiah)
General Secretary
Source: NFIR

Drdo

DRDO sets timeline for fixing grievances to discourage direct complaint to PM Modi

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By Pradip R. Sagar 14 September 2016 The New Indian Express
modi_afp-14-sept-16

NEW DELHI: As scientists involved in defence research continue to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with their grievances, DRDO headquarters has asked all its department heads to take timely action on these complaints to avoid direct communication with PM or Defence minister.

Following series of complaints, the DRDO’s vigilance department has now fixed a deadline to complete probe into any grievance within in ten days of receipt of complaint.

Days after assuming office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked government officials to give their suggestions directly to his office. But, within months, the PMO’s desk handling grievances was flooded with hundreds of representations. To address complaints, Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, in August 2015 issued an instruction that writing directly to the PMO by violating the prescribed channel of communication has to be viewed ‘seriously’ and is liable for ‘disciplinary action’.

But, despite strict instructions from the Cabinet Secretariat, several scientists have been continuously approaching prime minister’s office and defence minister.

“In absence of appropriate action to be taken on such complaints, the complainant addresses his grievances to various authorities including the Raksha Mantri (defence minister) and Prime Minister’s Office,” according to an stinker from the vigilance department head of the DRDO, Dr. JP Singh, Director, Vigilance and security writes..

“It has been noted with concern that neither any timely action is taken by the head of Clusters or establishment on complaints which are addressed to them, nor any action taken report is forwarded by them headquarters,”

Vigilance department believe that because of in-action by concerned Clusters or Establishments in the DRDO, ‘copious correspondence among various government agencies take place as all the complaints were processed as per extant of guidelines of the DoPT.

“All heads of Clusters/ Laboratories/ Establishments and Units are requested to take timely action on complaint directly addressed to them and forward Action Taken Report to the Chief Comptroller with ten days of the receipt of complaint,” Dr. JP Singh, Director, Vigilance and security writes.

Citing a Cabinet Secretary note on official communication channel, the DRDO headquarters in August last year, had issued detailed instructions to all its laboratories for strict compliance regarding representations being sent directly to higher authorities bypassing the prescribed channel of communication.14-sept-16-the-new-indian-express

PMO

Senior nuclear scientist faces wrath of offering suggestions to PM Modi

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India TV News Desk [ Updated 13 Mar 2015, 12:22:05
New Delhi: One of India’s senior nuclear scientists, Pashupati Rao, who works at Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) run by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is now facing wrath for sending suggestions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a critical national project.

On 28 September, 2014, Rao had sent his suggestions including sensitive matters on the new nuclear complex to PM’s official portal (pmindia.gov.in), which PMO had further sent to Rao’s employer, DAE, marking them as ‘grievance’ and sent out another mail to Rao on January 21 this year, saying his ‘grievance’ has been disposed.

The PMO, in its communication to DAE, had revealed Rao’s name and designation, thus making his full identity known to his superiors.

Following this, DAE persistently started following up with Rao asking for explanations while the latter desperately continued to explain himself.

As published in Economic Times, some DAE officials on condition of anonymity even said that Rao may face serious consequences.

Prominent whistleblower Prabhu Dandriyal, who some years ago had claimed to have exposed corruption in Defence Research & Development Organization, filed a Right to Information application on January 27 this year with the PMO on Rao’s matter.

Dandriyal, in his RTI application demanded to know the guidelines followed by PMO while dealing with sensitive matters. He told that the PMO reply that came a month later, on February 27, said the request is being processed, and details are being collected.

In the Rao’s suggestions to the Prime Minister, he had proposed that an independent team be appointed to review the project and he also mentioned technical details on cutting costs in it.

However, the PMO having sent his suggestions as ‘grievance’ to DAE has put the top nuclear scientist in a bureaucratic nightmare.

The communication that happened with PMO was with NFC, Hyderabad, where Rao worked.

His matter was turned into a staff grievance. Although the scientist tried hard to explain his stand however, nothing worked in his favor.

In one of the communications to the Grievance Redressal Committee, Rao wrote, “I am a successful officer and I have been awarded with DAE group achievement award for indigenization associated work. My feedback given to the PMO which is converted as my grievance is not aimed at any individual.”

However, DAE has not relented and on February 10, it had sent out a letter to Rao reminding him that his job was limited to helping him in maintenance of NFC.

“As an organization, we will follow the process. As he is a staff member, it is being treated as a staff grievance and is being looked into,” S Goverdhan Rao, deputy chief executive of NFC, told ET.

Meanwhile, Dandriyal is still awaiting a full reply from the PMO. He says, “It will be very difficult for people from the system to come out and expose corruption and inefficiency if there is no mechanism to protect them.”

PMO

Prime Minister’s Office Marked Rao’s Mail as `Grievance’

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Mar 13 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

Lands in hot water with DAE bosses for writing to PM
He wrote to the prime minister, tried to do good for a critical national project, and now he’s in trouble.
One of India’s senior nuclear scientists, Pashupati Rao, who works at Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), run by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is now battling his employer for having written to the prime minister offering suggestions on streamlining the setting up of a new nuclear facility at Kota, Rajasthan. DAE comes under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

ET has reviewed the relevant correspondence between the PMO, DAE and the scientist. The PMO didn’t respond to ET’s queries on this matter.Rao did not participate in this story.DAE responded to ET’s questions. On September 28, 2014, Rao sent his suggestions to PM’s official portal (pmindia.gov.in), which invites citizens to share ideas as well as to write to the Prime Minister.

But although Rao had communicated sensitive matters on the new nuclear complex, the PMO had sent them to Rao’s employer, DAE, marking them as `grievance’, and it sent a mail to Rao on January 21 this year, saying his `grievance’ has been disposed. The PMO’s communication to Rao’s employers had also given the name and designation of the scientist, thus making his full identity known to his superiors.

This started a process of DAE relentlessly asking for explanations from the scientist and the latter desperately seeking to explain himself. Some DAE officials who did not want to be identified told ET that Rao may face serious consequences.

Prominent whistleblower Prabhu Dandriyal, who some years ago had claimed to have exposed corruption in Defence Research & Development Organisation, filed a Right to Information application on January 27 this year with the PMO on Rao’s matter.

Dandriyal had asked what guidelines the PMO follows when dealing with `sensitive’ communication from government officials. He said the PMO reply that came a month later, on February 27, said the request is being processed, and de tails are being collected.

Rao’s suggestions sent to the prime minister on the Kota project contained, apart from technical details on cutting costs, a proposal that an independent team be appointed to review the project.

BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE

But the PMO sending his suggestions as `grievance’ to DAE has put the top nuclear scientist in a bureaucratic nightmare.The PMO’s communications were sent to NFC, Hyderabad, where Rao worked, and his superiors have turned the matter into `staff grievance’ and have been seeking explanations from Rao.

In a series of communications, Rao tried to explain that he did not have any personal grievance.

“I am a successful officer and I have been awarded with DAE group achievement award for indigenisation associated work. My feedback given to the PMO which is converted as my grievance is not aimed at any individual,“ the scientist wrote in one of his attempts to explain himself. However, DAE has not relented and on February 10, Rao received a letter from the Grievance Redressal Committee that reminded him his job was limited to helping in the maintenance of NFC.et clip

“As an organisation, we will follow the process. As he is a staff member, it is being treated as a staff grievance and is being looked into,“ S Goverdhan Rao, deputy chief executive of NFC, told ET.

Dandriyal, who’s still awaiting a full reply from PMO, said, “It will be very difficult for people from the system to come out and expose corruption and inefficiency if there is no mechanism to protect them.“

Drdo

DRDO senior scientists feel that DRDO Admin cadre is the biggest hurdle in their day to day manipulations

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In DRDO Directors’ Conference 2010, above mentioned view was unopposed accepted by almost all top brasses of DRDO.

Then to defy DOPT guidelines of FCS (Flexible Complementing Scheme) DRDO started to assign scientists, the admin allied and other non technical jobs as full time. Like Administration, Stores, Library, Conservancy, Works, Security, Motor Transport, etc.

As a result, now you see the chaos created by these incompetent scientists everywhere in DRDO. The number of court cases increased multifold. More than hundreds cases are running in various judiciary bodies all over the India. It can be verified by the amount spending by DRDO after 2010 onward.

Now scientists are running after these non scientific assignments because they witnessed in last several  years the promotion jumps of scientists who are engaged in sundry work.

Interestingly, senior scientists who enjoyed these non scientific assignments are also able to pitch their after retirement assignments as consultants on contracts, etc. or members/chairman post of various committees where there are no age limits boundaries.

Recently, scientists also established one more area in the recruitment of admin assistant process for the interview board CEPTAM asked for admin rep. In LASTEC, Dr. A K Maini turned down the name of Sh. Prakash Singh, Senior Administrative Officer -II the single available official for required demand. Instead he sent the name of Ms. Sangeeta Talwar, ineligible for said interview board member as Admin Rep.

Second example that for the same recruitment of admin assistant process for the interview board, Jodhpur, CEPTAM asked for admin rep from DEAL Dehradun. The Director, DEAL, Sh. R C Agarwal proposed the name of his staff officer Sh. Vipin Kaushik, Scientist ‘F’ instead of Sh. K K Mishra, Joint Director, Administration.

There are several examples recently of Sh. Ashok Gupta, Technical Officer ‘C’ INMAS, DRDO who got deputation appointment of Senior Administrative Officer -I through UPSC in SSPL then shifted to DRDO Hqrs., DRDO. This foolish act shows DRDO situation is really very pitiable. How can a technical officer who is recruited for technical job avails the arbitration being a technical person got certified by Director, INMAS and concurrence by DRDO Hqrs that he did administrative /stores assignments.

Government of India has looked in to this DRDO rules manipulation game because these manipulations are a major cause of unproductiveness of this white elephant.