New Delhi, January 11: The Indian Railways has written to the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) urging them to hire only men for several posts that include drivers, porters, guards and gangmen. With the new rule in place, women will not be able to apply for these railway posts. According to reports, the decision has been taken considering the tough and unfavourable working conditions that these posts demand.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the decision of keeping only men for these posts was taken when the Railways received several complaints of unsafe and working conditions by the female employees. Also, the drivers, guards and trackmen are supposed to be available at any time, which would be difficult for female employees. Passengers Must Reach Railway Station 20 Minutes Prior to Train Departure.

SN Agrawal, a staff member of the Indian Railways was quoted in the report saying that the former chairman of the Railway Board received a representation from women staff after which a letter has been written to DOPT. The letter suggests women should be excluded from few jobs that call for unfavourable working conditions. “The safety of women and working conditions are the primary concern; currently these posts are open for everyone irrespective of gender,” Agrawal added. Indian Railways Beautification Drive: Ratlam, Ujjain and Indore Railway Stations Have Been Transformed With Beautiful Wall Paintings, View Pics.

According to the HT report, of the 1.3 million employees of Indian Railways, nearly 2-3% are women and most of them are posted in desk jobs. Another retired member of Indian Railways was quoted in the report saying that these jobs are tough irrespective of the gender and assured that the railways cannot discriminate any job profile based on the gender of a person. He stated that the running staff get an additional benefit because of the tough nature of the job. Indian Railways to Fill Train Coaches with Water in 5 Minutes with New System.

Sanjay Pandhi, working president of Indian Railways Loco Running Men Organisation was quoted in the report saying that the railways do not have required infrastructure for women and that’s why they want women to not come forward for these jobs. Pandhi further added saying that instead of excluding women, railways should improve the facility for them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2019 05:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).