Kannur: The Indian Railways has issued a compulsory retirement order to a loco pilot, citing his refusal to complete additional work. The decision has sparked protests from the Loco Running Staff Association.

S Deepuraj, a goods train loco pilot from the Thiruvananthapuram division, was compulsorily retired by the Railways after he halted the train without completing an extended duty shift. The action comes amid ongoing concerns over shortage of loco pilots, which has led to extended working hours. The order was issued by the Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer of Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday and came into effect on Wednesday. However, Deepuraj is yet to receive the official order. He has the option to appeal the decision to the Additional Divisional Railway Manager in Thiruvananthapuram within 45 days.

The incident dates back to 2023. Deepuraj was operating a goods train from Tirunelveli to Kollam, where he was supposed to be relieved by another pilot. However, the change did not take place. Instead, he was instructed to continue driving the train up to Perinad.

Upon reaching Perinad, he was further directed to proceed towards Ernakulam, which he refused. 

According to the Loco Running Staff Association, the issue arose despite there being available staff at Kollam. Even after he drove the train up to Perinad, no replacement was provided there either.

Association officials have alleged that Deepuraj was not given the inquiry report, depriving him of the opportunity to respond to the charges. In protest against the compulsory retirement order, the staff association staged demonstrations at multiple locations.

Recruitment delays continue
In January and June last year, the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) invited applications for 18,799 Assistant Loco Pilot vacancies. However, the recruitment process is yet to be completed. The training for the first batch of recruits is currently underway.