Around 1 % railway employees are chronic absentees: MoS Railways

Around one per cent of the 13 lakh railway employees are chronic absentees, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohail told Lok Sabha today.

Gohain said the Railways launched a drive at various zones and production units in November 2017 to identify employees on unauthorised leave in which 13,521 were found absent.

Out of the 17 zones, the East Central Zone headquartered at Hajipur accounted for 1,792 cases. The zone comprises Sonpur, Samastipur, Danapur, Mughalsarai, and Dhanbad divisions.

1,476 employees were found absent in the Chennai-headquartered Southern Zone and 1,417 in the Mumbai-headquartered Western Zone.

Among the production units, the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory accounted for 115 absentees and 34 were found absent at the Chittaranjan Locomotives Works.

"Appropriate action under Disciplinary and Appeal Rules has been initiated against such absentees," the minister said.