Breathalysers, biometric tests eased for loco pilots

Thanks to COVID scare, loco pilots of good trains do not have to blow air into the breath analyzer equipment or mark their thumb impression on the biometric system before commencing duty. The relaxation would be in vogue till April 30 or the till the end of the nationwide lockdown, whichever is earlier.

The Southern Railway (SR) has instructed all its six divisions to comply with the relaxation, which, the loco pilots have been praying since the virus scare made social distancing the order of the day.

The zone had issued a circular in the last week of March to all divisions to apply the relaxation of BA test only for crew operating freight trains in sections where no other passenger trains are running or anticipated in any given point in time.

However, the zonal railway authorities have made it categorical that the relaxation would not apply to crew with a known history of alcoholism.

The zonal headquarters has insisted that a written undertaking, instead of BA test, must be taken from each crew member at the time of signing on and off duty. Loco inspectors have also been instructed to make surprise checks on the crew who have not been subjected to BA test. Till such time the relaxation is in vogue, officials have asked the operations department to follow manual entry in the crew management system to ensure that records are created for billing.

Meanwhile, All India Loco Running Staff Association has asked the authorities to keep a close watch on the health of the freight train crew as they cover over 200 km per day, exposing themselves to different conditions on duty during the lockdown.

The association, which claimed to have made at least three representations to the board in March to do away with BA and bio-metric system owing to the virus threat, claimed that the railway board order dated March 27 was issued only based on the stay order issued by the Delhi High Court for the same.