HC continues stay on Delhi Metro employees' proposed strike
New Delhi, July 6 : In a major relief to lakhs of commuters, the Delhi High Court on Friday extended its interim order restraining a section of Delhi Metro employees from going on strike over demands related to pay hike and promotions.
Hearing a Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) plea, Justice Pratibha Rani restrained the staff council members from going on strike till further order and asked them to file a response. The court listed the matter for further hearing on September 4.
On June 29, the high court restrained a section of the Metro employees from going on strike.
DMRC is in dispute with its non-executive employees over pay scales and arrears. The 9,000 employees in the category had warned of a strike from June 30 if their demands were not met.
This workforce consists of station controllers, drivers, technicians and other maintenance staff who facilitate day-to-day operations of the Metro.
These employees held a symbolic protest from June 19 onwards by holding sit-ins at platforms, wearing black armbands and boycotting lunch and rest hours. They threatened to go on total strike from June 30.
The bone of contention, the employees said, is a 2007 DMRC rule through which the corporation had come up with two pay scales for executive and non-executive staff, entitling the former to pay grades or scales given to 'Schedule A' public sector units and a lower and different grade for the latter.
As per a compromise struck between the employees and the DMRC on July 23, 2017, the corporation was to carry out some modifications in the pay grade and grant the protesting employees their arrears from July 1, 2015. However, the deal fell through.
Delhi Metro ferries about 27 lakh passengers every working day.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
