BENGALURU: Loco pilots and assistant loco pilots across India began a 48-hour hunger strike on Tuesday, accusing the Railway Board of failing to address long-pending grievances related to safety, rest hours, duty limits and allowances.
The protest, called by the All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), is being held simultaneously at divisional headquarters nationwide, including KR Puram.
The association said repeated representations to the Railway Board yielded no meaningful results, leaving the staff responsible for the safety of many people “anguished and demoralised”. The agitators said their work has been classified as the most arduous in the Railways since the 1968 Rajadhyaksha Committee, but now, conditions have only worsened.
Among the loco pilots’ concerns is the denial of adequate rest. They said they are routinely deprived of the mandated 16 hours of headquarters rest and 30 hours of weekly rest, forced into duty cycles stretching up to 12 hours or more and booked for four continuous night shifts.
The staff shortage caused by a five-year recruitment freeze has further pushed each loco pilot to work nearly 20% extra, often without proper leave, heightening fatigue-related safety concerns. Financial issues form another major flashpoint. The association’s key demands include 25% hike in KMA.