Graduates Line up to be Coolies

Among the 1,311 applicants – many of them graduates with additional professional qualifications – vying for 79 jobs that don’t guarantee them any income every day. The applicants have to go through a stringent process before being sent for the final selection . After finishing a 1,500-metre run in seven minutes, the applicants are sent for a medical screening. ‘‘ Half of the applicants turn up for the medical tests and only those who pass that test are eligible for the post,’’ Central Railway PRO Anil K Singh said. The long list of applications coming from graduates doesn’t come as a surprise to the railways . ‘‘ Many of these porters don’t even stick to the rates specified by the union and end up raking in extra money. Moreover, they also get promotions on a regular basis,’’ Singh said. Former railway minister Lalu Prasad had introduced a scheme through which porters could be promoted as railway gangmen. ‘‘ Once they get hired as a porter, they can look forward to the job of a gangman. This is the main attraction for all the applicants,’’ added Singh. But many applicants were not happy with the stringent procedures . ‘‘ We were made to run 200 metres in 40 seconds with 40 kgs on our back. It is an impossible task,’’ graduate applicant Sagar said.But railway officials say it is a very important procedure.