Enquire role of Bansal in promoting Mahesh Kumar as Railway board member, demand activists
Moneylife Digital Team 04 May 2013


Following the arrest of Vijay Singla, the nephew of railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal while accepting a bribe, activists have demanded an enquiry of the promotion and transfer process of the Indian Railways

Following the arrest of Vijay Singla, the nephew of Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, activists have demanded an enquiry into the promotion of Mahesh Kumar as member of Railway Board as well as the role played by the minister.

 

Mumbai-based activist Samir Zaveri has been sending letters to the prime minister and railway minister as well as Railway Board to dismiss Mahesh Kumar for failing to detect several frauds when he was heading the vigilance team at Western Railway in Mumbai.

Similarly, Lucknow-based social activist Dr Nutan Thakur has demanded that in the light of Pawan Bansal’s nephew episode, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should also enquire into railway officer Mahesh Kumar’s recent promotion to the post of Member, Staff.

 

In her letter written to director of CBI, prime minister and secretary, ministry of personnel, she has said that now there is an immediate and imminent need to look into Mahesh Kumar’s promotion process from general manager of Western Railways to Member of the Railway Board.

 

Suggesting to treat the entire episode in two distinct stages—promotion from GM to Member from Staff and attempted change to Member from Electrical, Dr Thakur has demanded to act against all those, including the railway minister, involved in the previous decision-making of promoting Kumar from GM to Member, Railway Board, in case circumvention of rules and foul play is found there.

 

On Friday, the CBI arrested Vijay Singla, nephew of railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, for allegedly accepting a portion of the Rs90 lakh bribe to ensure the appointment of a Railway Board member.

 

The agency also registered a case against three other people—including the accused member (staff) Mahesh Kumar who had taken up his position on the board only a day earlier—after conducting raids in several cities.

 

Singla, son of Bansal’s sister and one of the leading businessmen in the region, was picked up by a CBI team from New Delhi on Friday evening.

 

Singla is accused of accepting the money in return for ensuring that Kumar, a 1975 graduate from University of Roorkee who had been the general manager of Western Railway, would be appointed to the Railway Board, which the ministry announced on 2nd May.

 

According to Zaveri, Mahesh Kumar as chief of vigilance at Mumbai failed to detect and take any action on several frauds in his jurisdiction. “It is open secret that there is a price for getting selective transfers and promotiona anywhere in the Indian Railways from top to bottom. I had sent several requests through emails with supporting evidence to the President of India, the prime minister and others to investigate into the transfer and posting scams in Rail Protection Force at Central Railway as well. However, there is still no action,” he said.

 

Zaveri said, during Mahesh Kumar's tenure as head of vigilance at Western Railway, the CBI raided a divisional railway manager (DRM) from Ahmedabad and found Rs80 lakh in cash, one kg of gold and 30 wine bottles (prohibited in Gujarat) subsequently arresting him. Citing media reports, Zaveri claimed the CBI was more active in detecting frauds and arresting railway officials than the WR vigilance department headed by Mahesh Kumar.

 

Incidentally, Subhodh Jain, general manager of Central Railway, was also promoted recently as member of the Railway Board, Zaveri pointed out.

Comments
CA PRADEEP AGARWAL
1 decade ago
You have to enquire from has this rot started, take away all Discretionary Powers and make them simply caretakers, and in case any corruption is found confiscate properties of all near and dears
CA PRADEEP AGARWAL
1 decade ago
MY DEAR TELL ALL OF YOU, THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CORRUPT GOVT I HAVE EVER SEEN, AND HOPE SO WILL NOT SEE IN FUTURE.
Jolly Good
1 decade ago
Why is it that still GM of Western and Central Railways not posted.Why is this practice of GMs not giving powers to Additional General Managers when they are away or retired ?If Railway Board Confidential Cell and the Advisor Confidential do a honest job , then why the next Person who is in line for promotion become GM irrespective of his choice of the Zone or Unit?There is no refusal of promotion to Mr Mahesh Kumar who was not interested in becoming Member Staff but an adjustment is made to accomodate him in Railway Board.Why some other junior officers of his cadre have to forego promotion when unable to carry out transfer to North Frontier Railways?Why some officers of his community never left their parent Railway even till 23 to 25 years of posting?Why certain officers are branded not fit for post of Branch Officers,ADRMs ,DRMs or GMs?Why is there so much subjectivity in Annual Confidential Reports which overrides the Objectives and Targets met ?It is anybody's guess that unless you are a mini Mr Mahesh Kumar in Government Organisation you are denied an financially influential or administratively important posting.Can CBI now look into this and prove they are worth their salt?
CA PRADEEP AGARWAL
1 decade ago
NOT ONLY MR MAHESH KUMAR, THERE ARE SEVERAL MAHESH KUMARS WHO GET COVETED POSTS THEY DESIRE WITH THE BACKING OF POLITICIANS. WHAT DO THEY GET IS ANY BODY'S GUESS? IN STATE AS WELL AS CENTRE? PLEASE COMMENT.
Jolly Good
1 decade ago
Enquire Role of Mr Mahesh Kumar in Promotion,Posting and transfer of his subordinate officers dealing in Signal and Telecommunication contracts both in Open Line and Construction organisation in Western Railway. Mr Mahesh Kumar elevated a junior officer Mr Ravi Agarwal of a particular Batch as co-ordinating Head of Signal Telecommunication Construction Organisation in Western Railway when till recently none of his other Batchmates got promotion in other Railways.This is just tip of iceberg.Mr Mahesh Kumar followed the footsteps of Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal and then his Juniors follow his footsteps.We should really thank Mr Mahesh Kumar for letting the whole nation know the rot in Railway Organisation .It might be similar in other ministries too but till recently CBI was a parrot and Mr Ranjit Sinha- may his tribe increase was courageous enough to set the ball rolling in own department!!!We expect more news on this ,IPL rot should not overshadow this genuine work of exposing undertaken by media.
CA PRADEEP AGARWAL
Replied to Jolly Good comment 1 decade ago
NOT ONLY IN RAILWAYS BUT EVERY WHERE YOU WILL FIND THE SAME? YOU HEARD ABOUT CMD OF AIR INDIA, WHAT HE DID, EVERYBODY KNOWS IT
CA PRADEEP AGARWAL
1 decade ago
It might be going in other Organisations also where there are such type of members, not only Railways? Can open up a Pandora's box in corruption, which is why Minister's are not able to rein in their senior officials in the Dept., and wanted to shield them from Jan Lokpal Bill?
Jolly Good
1 decade ago
There is no separate Member for Signaling & Telecommunications and Electrical .So in the race of one upmanship in Railway Board,Mahesh Kumar aped his predecessor ;Narain Rao Manjunath betted on a winning horse probably what Mr Kulbhushan could take for a deal, Mr Mahesh Kumar had a competitive bid therefore not wasting time and fearing after becoming CRB ,Mr Kulbhushan would keep the ML portfolio to himself like the present CRB keeping the post of MT to himself.In the vicious circle certain relatively honest officers would be trounced upon,was of no concern to the trio.All of them are relatively honest or at least made out to be unless caught red handed.The desire to be First Among Equals led to Mahesh Kumar's Downfall.There are Humptey Dumptey Sat on a Wall,Humptey Dumptey Had a Great Fall.There are seven green bottles(read Members) standing on the wall(read Board).If one green bottle would accidently fall, there are six green bottles standing on the wall .It remains to be seen what happens to rest of Hoity Toity Bottles.Guess who had the last laugh?
PRABHAT
1 decade ago
INVESTIGATION MUST BE DONE AGAINST OTHER SITTING / RETIRED MEMBERS BECAUSE THERE MUST BE SIMILER CASES IN PAST ALSO DURING THE RESUME OF OTHER RLY MINISTERS .
PRABHAT
1 decade ago
WE MUST THINK - WHAT ARE UNDUE BENEFITS FOR A MEMBER OF RLY BOARD THAT ATTRACTS SUCH HUGE BRIBE . FURTHER CAN A RELATIVE OF MINISTER CAN ASSURE FOR THE POSITION OF MEMBER , WITHOUT THE INVOLVEMENT OF MINISTER ?
THE PRESENT AND PAST MEMBERS MUST BE SEARCHED TO FIND OUT THEIR ACCUMULATED WEALTH AS MEMBER ?
Array
Free Helpline
Legal Credit
Feedback