Issued on 18 February, the directive restricted the intake of tender coconut water, homeopathic medicines, specific bananas, cough syrups, soft drinks, and mouthwashes. The restriction was imposed after breathalyser tests detected presence of alcohol in some crew members. Subsequent blood tests showed no traces of alcohol.
Published Feb 21, 2025 | 6:45 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 21, 2025 | 6:45 PM
Synopsis: Southern Railway’s Thiruvananthapuram Division has revoked a contentious directive that banned loco pilots from consuming certain foods and medicines due to concerns over false positive breathalyser test results, following protests. The order, which restricted items like tender coconut water and cough syrups, faced backlash for imposing “unreasonable” dietary limitations rather than replacing the equipment.
Southern Railway’s Thiruvananthapuram Division has withdrawn a contentious directive that banned loco pilots from consuming certain food and medicinal items to prevent false positive breathalyser test results.
On 20 February, the Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer (DEE) of the Thiruvananthapuram Division officially rescinded the order.
Issued on 18 February, the directive restricted the intake of tender coconut water, homeopathic medicines, specific bananas, cough syrups, soft drinks, and mouthwashes.
The restriction was imposed after breathalyser tests detected alcohol in some crew members, despite subsequent blood tests showing no traces of alcohol.
All India Loco Running Staff Association had earlier condemned the measure as unreasonable and demanded its withdrawal, urging higher authorities to address the issue of inaccurate breathalyser results rather than imposing unnecessary restrictions.
“Higher level officials themselves admitted to us that the directive was a foolish one. During this high temperature season, most Keralites rely on tender coconut to stay hydrated,” L Mony, President of the Loco Pilot Association, Trivandrum Division, Southern Railway told South First, in response to the order.
“How is it possible that a loco pilot, who has to work under unscientific timing schedules, is denied the right to stay hydrated?”
While welcoming the withdrawal of the directive, Mony pointed out that several issues remained unresolved, particularly restrictions on certain medicines.
On 3 February, the Office of the Medical Director Railway Hospital in Chennai released a comprehensive list of medications that should not be administered to running staff due to their sedative effects that could impair their cognitive and motor functions.
This list included tranquillisers and sedatives, opiates, antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedating antihistamines, barbiturates, any medical preparation (commonly cough syrups) containing ethanol, antiepileptic drugs, some muscle relaxants, some analgesics, antiemetics and centrally acting antihypertensives.
Unlike the order imposed by the Thiruvananthapuram division, the list did not mention any dietary restrictions.
Subsequently, on 5 February, the Southern Railway approved the list and directed the Railway Board to organise awareness programmes among the running staff.
Despite specifying that breathalyser tests produced false positives, the Thiruvananthapuram division’s order did not mention replacing the faulty machines but warned crew members of action against positive breathalyser test results.
“They have only cancelled one order, but many issues still persist, such as restrictions on certain medicines. All these directives are meant to put the blame on loco pilots,” Mony said.
“Because, nowadays, we are assigned multiple shifts in a single day, lasting anywhere from 9 to 12 hours, which is exhausting. Even the schedules are prepared without common sense and are highly unscientific.”
He continued: “A meeting was held two days ago, but no decision was made on this issue. However, we will continue to protest until they start treating us as human beings, not machines.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman)
