BENGALURU: In one of the largest ever recruitment drives undertaken in the recent past for the South Western Railway (SWR) Zone, 3,347 personnel across various levels will be absorbed into the railways after tests to be held between April and May this year. They form part of the nearly 90,000 cadre to be recruited to fill up railway vacancies across the country.
In a huge relief to the overworked loco-pilots, 435 Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs) will be hired for the zone. An official release said 233 will be recruited under the General category, 64 under the SC category, 35 under the ST category and 103 under the Other Backward Castes category. Altogether, 572 technicians for the SWR zone will be recruited apart from 47 for the Rail Wheel Factory in Yelahanka. Both ALPs and technicians are classified under Group C Level II posts.
The biggest recruitment will be in the Group C Level I cadre (earlier known as Group D). A total of 2,293 people will be hired. This includes 1,184 under the General category, 346 SC and 477 ST apart from reservations under other categories. They form part of the 62,907 Group C staff to be recruited across all zones in the country.
Chief Public Relations Officer, SWR, E Vijaya, said, “This recruitment process by Railways is unique in many ways. It is the first time such a large number would take up their tests only through online. Even if 50 candidates try for one vacancy, we expect a minimum of 40 lakh across the country to compete for the jobs.”
A relaxation in upper age limit as well as qualifications have been introduced this time, she added. General manager, SWR, A K Gupta said, “The recruitment of large numbers will help us function in a reliable and efficient manner.”