VIJAYAWADA: Demonstrating exemplary vigilance while on night duty, a frontline track maintainer from the Vijayawada Division of South Coast Railway (SCoR) was honoured with the prestigious General Manager’s ‘Employee of the Month’ Safety Award for July 2026.
Sandeep Mathur, General Manager, SCoR, presented the award to B Venkata Rao, Track Maintainer-IV, Tuni, during a ceremony held in Vizag on August 25. He was recognised alongside three other zonal employees for taking action to avert railway accidents.
The recognition stems from a critical incident on July 22, when Venkata Rao detected a major rail fracture at kilometre 705/23-21 in the Tuni Section during his night patrol.
Recognising the severe hazard to oncoming trains, he immediately protected the affected track as per standard safety protocols. He alerted the Station Superintendent at Narsipatnam Road and the Senior Section Engineer (Permanent Way) at Tuni, enabling authorities to enforce a traffic block.
Following his report, technical teams rushed to the site, performed emergency fishplating, and replaced the damaged rail section without delay.