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I think the issue which Freefall has raised is quite relevant. I think every finance officer has to answer one basic question - whether s/he is primarily a Railway officer who happens to be in Finance Department or s/he is primarily a Finance officer who happens to work for the Railways. The attitude of a finance officer depends on the what a finance officers thinks of himself/herself in this context.

Personally, I think the former is correct. We are all primarily Railway officers. And in that context, we have think about how Finance can play a role in the progress of the organization as a whole or how we can contribute to system improvement. The past 7 months in the division has been quite rewarding in terms of the resolution of this dilemma.

With this emphasis on passenger amenities and the liberal delegation of powers to DRMs, I think we have a great role to play. How do we want our stations to look, how clean should our trains and stations be, the standards of lighting, the security of our stations are all the issues in which we should play a positive role. When I had gone to the station to see off our DRM (who has been transferred after completing his tenure) and the lights were switched on in PF-1, I could feel (please relate this to 'touch and feel') the drastic improvement in the lighting as new CFL lights had been put in place. It was a very satisfying moment and I congratulated my Sr.DEE (G) for executing this work.

I am of the opinion that as Sr.DFMs we should delegate the routine work and should step out of our chambers more often. We should go around our colonies, the running rooms, conduct inspections of field units and even go for footplate inspections. Of course, all this should be done without compromising on the work in our offices. May be we can attend the daily punctuality meetings once a week. I think all this is a great learning experience and it has personally helped while scrutinizing the various proposals.

So where do you (as a finance officer) stand with regard to the question raised in the first paragraph?

R.Ananth
Sr.DFM/BSP

Yes, sir, I fully agree with the view that a finance officer can contribute to improved executive performance. That means that a finance officer has to have a thorough understanding of the system and a little common sense.

In Bilaspur division, I have conducted a few 'executive' inspections. My comprehensive inspection of the Bilaspur running room has touched quite a few raw nerves. The observations ranged from the faults in the design to cleanliness, maintenance and the security aspects. Similarly, my observations on the condition of road surfaces of level crossings and the related safety implications were not made earlier by any of the Engineering officers. I think both Finance and Personnel officers can make useful contribution to the improvement in the performance of the organization in general, besides contributing to their own departments.

R.Ananth
Sr.DFM/BSP

Freefall sir, thanks for the observations and the suggestions. In my inspection note on the running room, I have not just pointed out the deficiencies but suggested the measures to be taken to rectify them. By doing so, I am obviously implying that I am willing to help the executives out from my side. The issue was discussed in the monthly safety review meeting and has prompted our new DRM to inspect the running room on priority. And a joint inspection schedule for supervisors of Engg and Elec. depts (which was one of my recommendations) is being put in place.

All inspections are viewed as intrusions to a certain extent by the 'affected' officer. Obviously, the intent of the inspection and the language of the inspection note are important.

And all finance officers are entitled to their independent opinions on all matters. For example, I feel that we have pampered our running staff more by giving them all kinds of allowances but have paid very little attention to the condition of running rooms and loco cabs, which is more important. I think it would have been much better if we had invested more in providing them better amenities rather than doling out various monetary incentives. It is a matter of concern to see the way our running staff are crammed into dingy rooms and have to man cabs which are dirty and badly maintained.

My emphasis is on how, besides improving the performance of the Accounts office, we can contrbute to the improvement of the organization as a whole.

R.Ananth
Sr.DFM/BSP

Not only that, Mr.irse, if I may be pardoned for getting a little departmental, it also gives me a stick to beat the executives with. When I inspected the Bilaspur running room (whose maintenance and catering has been outsourced) and I found that the cleanliness is extremely unsatisfactory, I pointed out to my Sr.DEE (OP) that as the executing agency, he is responsible for ensuring it. I raised this issue in the monthly safety review meeting. My colleagues tell me that it is the most comprehensive inspection of a running room ever done by any branch officer. That has promoted by a series of inspections by ADRM, DRM and by HQ SAG officers and the present contract is being terminated.

The same thing applies to my observations on the unsatisfactory condition of the road surfaces of level crossings. My take on these inspections is that all these works have been taken up after obtaining the concurrence of finance and one of my officers was also a TC member. So finance has a responsibility to ensure that the money is well spent and the purpose for which it has been spent is fulfilled. Finance is a partner in the system and is not an external observer. In my opinion, it is also the responsibility of finance to evaluate the quality of works and suggest ways to improve further.

Ananth
Sr.DFM/BSP

Pankaj has correctly pointed out the flaw. The contractor was deliberately quoting low rates to bag the contract at any cost and thus the quality of service was very poor. My Sr.DEE (OP) is a raw hand as far as tenders are concerned. But the contractor has been quoting low rates under different names in different tenders. Even the maintenance of the Bijuri running room has been outsourced and there this fellow has been making use of the Class IV staff of the running room to wash the linen and was using the lawns of the running room as the drying space.

We need to have a good hard look at the outsourcing of the running rooms and devise norms to ensure that we get competitive rates and good service at the same time.

Ananth
Sr.DFM/BSP