CHENNAI: Thanks to the absence of a trained controller — who is in charge of overall operations — a housekeeping staff at the High Court Metro Rail station got stuck inside an elevator for over an hour. CMRL sources said the incident is an alarming indicator of the lack of quality manpower at these stations, putting passengers at risk.
Nathiya, the housekeeping staff, was stuck in the elevator meant for passengers. While she got stuck at around 3pm, the elevator could be fixed only around 4 pm when the regular station officer arrived for his shift. Nathiya, by that time, had fainted and had to be rushed to hospital.
According to some permanent employees, only seven stations, considered important, have station controllers round the clock -- working in three different shifts. 24 other stations in the city have station controllers working only in two shifts. Hence, between 12 noon and 4 pm, there are no station controller in these stations and the housekeeping staff have to double up as controllers. CMRL, however, has denied any concerns over safety at the stations.
Lack of trained staff putting passengers’ lives at risk?
When there is some mishap like the lift malfunctioning on Monday, they say the absence of a trained station controller could put passengers at risk.When Express queried about the issue, senior Metro Rail officials denied all claims of the employees and said that they had deployed competent person in-charge during this time slot. "Permanent employees do not want others to take their place. This rivalry has resulted in them spreading rumours. All stations are manned at all times," said an official.
However, the employees say they are only concerned about the management posting unqualified staff that might harm the safety of passengers. A few Metro Rail employees said that three months ago, they received an email from the management informing them that except for seven stations, they would be deployed on two shifts in all stations. Before Metro Rail timings were extended, except seven stations, employees were asked to work on two shifts from 5.30 am to 2 pm and from 2 pm to 10.30 pm in all stations.
"We did not want to risk safety of passengers and hand over the station to untrained workers even for a few hours. But a week ago, we were strictly asked by our superiors not to work more than our shift timings. If any accident or untoward incidents happen during this time, passengers will not get proper help," said an employee of Metro Rail.
The seven stations that have employees working on three shifts are Airport, AG DMS, Central, Washermanpet, Koyambedu, Alandur and Tirumangalam. As a result, during afternoons, trained station controllers are present at these stations to oversee daily activities. "In stations like Nandanam, Saidapet, Guindy and Little Mount where the patronage is the least, only outsourced employees are deployed on two shifts to take care of all activities. Even if people want to register a complaint or know where the exit is, staff are not present to help," said another employee.
A highly placed source said the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had been persistently asked by officials in the Ministry of Urban Development to follow the Chennai Metro Rail's method of outsourcing. But the BMRCL management is reluctant to outsource any part of its activity.
When Express contacted Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety K A Manoharan, he said he would be checking if any staff was not competent to do their work during the next inspection. "I received a complaint from the permanent workers regarding this issue recently. Though employees said that the Contract Labour Act says labourers shouldn't be hired on a contract basis for perennial work, general rules of Metro Rail allow any part of their work to be outsourced," he added.