Challenges galore before New Railway Minister

With the bribery scandal bringing into spotlight top Railway appointments, filling up as many as five senior posts in a transparent way could be a daunting task for the new minister.
The Railway Minister will have to find deserving candidates for the posts of Member Staff, Member Traffic, General Managers of Western Railway, South East Central Railway and Kolkata Metro which are lying vacant.
Western Railway GM Mahesh Kumar, who became Member Staff on May 2, was arrested by CBI for allegedly bribing then Railway Minister Pawn Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla to get himself appointed as Member Electrical post.

Besides Kumar, nine others were arrested by CBI in the cash-for-job scam in railways which has led to ouster of bansal from teh Cabinet.
Claiming that recent bribery allegation in Railways is nothing new, the Federation of Railway Officers' Association has written a letter to the Cabinet Secretary alleging the Ministry "often plays by different rules or bends rules for postings of senior officers beyond recognition."
According to railway insiders, administrative reform along with financial reform are the need of the hour to put the public transporter back on the track.
"In other government departments like Home, Secretary post never remains vacant. Why can't the same be done in Railway Board postings as these posts are also equally governed by DoPt rules," asked a senior railway official.