Close Users Group to link rly officials

PATNA: The Railway Board has approved an ambitious project, Close Users Group (CUG), to connect senior railway officials at the national level through a common network system.

The decision has been taken to provide a direct connectivity to all railway officials from the rank of C-Grade to higher-ups. However, this facility is being provided to each group of railway employees right from Group A to C to streamline the functioning of the railways in every zone of the Indian Railways.

According to sources, the railways are likely to make this system operational this month. A comprehensive plan has been worked out to make it a successful venture. Under the plan, three categories have been worked out. While senior railways officials are being connected at the national level through new cell phones, subordinate railway officials will be provided connectivity at the zonal level. However, railway employees belonging to the Group C category will be connected at the divisional level only, sources said.

According to a Railway Board official, the railways are paying about Rs 3 crore per month to BSNL for providing connectivity to railway officials through cell phones at the national level. The Railway Board took a decision to provide its own connectivity, Railtel, to railway officials and employees at the most reasonable cost in collaboration with Airtel at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore per month. Thus, the railways would be saving about Rs 1.5 crore per month by launching this joint venture, he said adding about one lakh connections would be given under the new plan at the national level.

An East Central Railway (ECR) official said the railways would distribute SIM cards to each employee falling under these three categories. Senior railway officials of DRM, GM and principal HoDs ranks are being given free handsets while employees belonging to Group B and C categories would be given free SIM cards only under the approved scheme, he said.

According to sources, the railways have requisitioned about 1,100 connections for Danapur division of ECR alone. The railways will surrender BSNL numbers soon after the commissioning of this new system. Callers from any part of the country could easily contact railway officials on the new numbers likely to be floated by Airtel, sources said.