In compliance with the new Government’s directives to prune red tape and paper work in offices, the Mysore Division of the South Western Railway is on its way to become a “Digital Division” by harnessing technology.
For a start, the nearly 50 page “Daily Report” containing details of all developments of the last 24 hours (from freight loading to passenger traffic earning, detention of train if any, signal failure to a drunkard misbehaving with staff or passenger) and submitted every morning to the Divisional Railway Manager, has been reduced to 4 pages and that too in the digital form.
All the officials are now on WhatsApp and the Divisional Railway Manager Mr. Lal forwards them the report, if required, instead of making multiple copies of the report and circulating it as was the practice earlier. “This has not only saved paper and weeded out unnecessary paper work but enhanced efficiency”, said Mr.Rajkumar Lal.
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All information and files pertaining to routine administration and daily operations have been uploaded on Google Drive and the officials can access it from anywhere when on tour instead of taking copies of it. Two web-based helplines have been launched for greater coordination between officials of different departments, mainly finance and personnel, so that information in digitized form can be exchanged instead of paper files.
A new software which will virtually eliminate paperwork pertains to inspection reports. Mr. Lal pointed out that the Railways carry out scores of inspection related to rake maintenance, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, cleanliness, passenger amenities, electronics and communication and each report runs into 10 to 15 pages all of which are read once and dumped aside and soon it piles up to become a huge mound.
But with the adoption of the new software, the reports will be available to the concerned officials in the digital form and they can read it on their mobile. A significant feature of the software is that it is programmed to reflect deadlines set to correct any anomalies. If the deadlines are not complied and relevant entries not made in the system, it will be reflected in the monitor till the lacunae is sorted out. This will help enhance efficiency as there will be more accountability by the officials and failure to comply with the timeline will be reflected in the systems and draw the attention of the higher ups.
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Procedures have been simplified and a Station Master who was maintaining 72 registers pertaining to operations now maintains only 36 registers and the rest has been declared as redundant while the Electrical Wing which used to maintain 68 registers make do with the same work with 28 registers. ‘’The procedures were a fallout of redundant rules some of which are 80 to 90 years old and we have written to the Ministry giving a list of such rules to be repealed’’ said Mr. Lal.
Besides, 20 truck loads of old files without any reference value that had accumulated in the Divisional Railway Office have been cleared to reflect a better work culture and ambience.