Nitish pulls safety chain, offers VRS to senior drivers

Giving details of the VRS, Kumar said the tasks of drivers and gangmen require hard work and concentration. ‘‘So we are promoting VRS for them. We will be providing railway jobs to the wards of those who opt for VRS,’’ he said. However, the ward of the employee seeking his father’s job would have to fulfil the necessary criteria.

Admitting that VRS was not the solution for all safety problems, he said, railways were also acquiring new technology wherever chances of human failure were more.

Since the work of the gangmen involves carrying heavy tools for maintenance and checking the tracks, it is possible they get tired at this age, Nitish explained. ‘‘Similarly, the drivers could experience problems in concentration on attaining a certain age and we decided to offer VRS for them,’’ he added.

The minister claimed railway unions had expressed happiness at the scheme. ‘‘We have been talking to them for the last one year about it,’’ he said. All the union leaders, sitting with Nitish through the press conference, praised the minister and his efforts at modernisation to make rail travel safer.

Senior officials said they had never seen such a press conference earlier with the public spectacle of sycophancy.