Demanding jobs, students block railway tracks in Mumbai

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, March 20

Apprentices demanding jobs with the railways squatted on the railway tracks in the suburban section of the Central Railway in Mumbai on Tuesday morning throwing train services out of gear and inconveniencing commuters.

While local train services on the central line were completely halted for nearly five hours, the railways rescheduled several outstation trains.

According to the Central Railway authorities, several hundred youths who had cleared the Apprentices examination conducted by the railways descended on the tracks demanding that they be given full-time jobs with the transporter. Banded together under the banner of the All India Act Apprentice Association (AAAA), the protesters were demanding that the railways scrap recruitments under the open category.

The railways have announced recruitment for 90,000 jobs.
According to railway officials, the protesting apprentices stopped trains at 7 am between Matunga and Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). These apprentices were undergoing training at the railways’ Parel workshop, according to AAAA.

Sources said the apprentices’ association had held talks with senior railway officials but failed to get any assurances about the youths being absorbed in full-time jobs. During the protests many of the youths held placards demanding an audience with Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

The protests almost threatened to get out of hand after some of the youths hurled stones at police. However the situation was brought under control by a mild lathi-charge police said.

By noon, train services on the central railway line resumed after railway officials promised to hold a special examination for the apprentices who had undergone training at railway workshops under the Apprentices Act.