Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU) on Wednesday expressed its opposition to the move of the Ministry of Railways to hand over profit-making 150 trains and 50 railway stations to private parties by burning copies of a recent order issued by the Railway Board, New Delhi.
Its deputy general secretary S. Veerasekaran led the protest.
The order said it had been decided to form an empowered group of secretaries for development of 50 railway stations and permit private passenger train operators to operate 150 trains with world class technology. The group is headed by Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog, as its chairman.
The union urged the Railway Board to withdraw the order.
They opposed the proposed scheme to compulsorily retire employees who had put in 33 years of service even before completion of 60 years of age. It was planned to hand over the railways to the private sector.
Similar protest was organised inside the Divisional Railway Manager’s office premises. Members of the Dakshin Railway Employees Union staged a demonstration later in the day.
