What do railwaymen working in deep forests or places far removed from habitations do in their spare time? They watch TV like their counterparts sitting cosy in their drawing rooms, of course.
The direct-to-home (DTH) television antenna has made it possible for those staying in far flung areas to access TV signals to stay connected with the outside world. A permanent way inspection team of the South Central Railway’s Vijayawada division keeps itself connected with ‘civilisation’ using DTH while working in the Kosai segment close to Adilabad-Maharashtra borders deep inside the Kosai forests.
The portable DTH antenna is kept at a vantage point to access signals even in forests while the TV set is located in the rest van accompanying the track maintenance machine (TMM). Some of the TMM staff have learned to keep the antenna in perfect alignment to access signals.
“The seven of us working on the TMM have pooled in money to purchase the DTH and a TV set,” reveals TMM Grade II fitter S. Krishna Murthy Naik. He says it is through the TV that they feel they are part of the civilisation whenever working in distant parts of the Railway Zone.
“We mostly watch news and entertainment programmes in Telugu,” Mr. Naik says. “All the Telugu programmes are easily accessible,” he adds on the difficulty quotient.
The TMM, staff however, resent being away from home for long durations when sent out to work in other divisions in the SCR Zone. “Even if some small matter needs out attention at home we need to apply for leave for three to four days,” say the track workmen.
