HYDERABAD: Five of South Central Railway’s (SCR) crucial departments — Operations, Commercial, Finance, Security and Medical — are now headed by women officers, marking the first time in the zone’s history that these divisions are simultaneously led by women.
The appointments highlight both the growing role of women in Indian Railways and the complex responsibilities they shoulder in ensuring seamless train operations, passenger safety, financial discipline and employee welfare across one of the country’s busiest zones.
Ity Pandey, from the 1998 IRTS batch, took charge as Principal Chief Commercial Manager on August 2. She supervises passenger and freight services, ensuring customer satisfaction and revenue generation. An award-winning officer and author of Riding the Freight Train, she was recognised among India’s top bureaucrat change-makers in 2024. A marathon runner, she became the only woman civil servant to complete the 88-km Comrades Marathon in South Africa in 2023.