Sir William
Acworth is acknowledged as the father of training in Indian Railways. A ten-member
committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Sir William Mitchell
Acworth. It included three Indian members viz. V.S. Srinivasa Sastri, Member
Viceroy Legislative Council, Purshottam Das Thakurdas representing Indian
Commercial Interests and Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee. It was Acworth committee
report 1921 emphasizing the need for formal training of Railway officers esp.
in the field of train operations. This led to initiative by some of the State
Railways to establish Central Training Instt. Chandausi in UP was established
by the Railways in 1925. It was meant for both the supervisors as well as
officers. In its report 1925-26 the Railway Board agreed to have one training
college in the salubrious climate of Dehradun in the neighbourhood of Forest
Research Instt. and the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College. At an
estimated cost of Rs.20 lakhs the college all of 155 acres, was proposed.
However, it was in 1930 at a cost of Rs.24.96 lakhs the college could be opened
on 6th January 1930. It had room for 64 officers / supervisors. Usual Model
Room, Lounge, classroom and Mess.
Principal was Mr. L.H.
Kirkness.The formal inauguration took place on 3rd April 1930 by His
Excellency the Governor of U.P. Sir Malcolm Hailey in the august presence of
Mr. T.G. Russel, Chief Commissioner Railway Board, Sir Alexander Rouse, Chief
Engineer Delhi Province, Sir Alexander Rodger, Inspector General of Forests,
Services of Sir Clement Hindley the first Chief Commissioner of Railways, two
great Railway men Sir Philip Sheridan and Sir Austen Hadow and the first two
Principals Dean and Wallace of Railway Training Instt., Chandausi U.P. Mr.
Dormer a world class Railwayman was also remembered for deriving inspiration.
The Agents of several important Railways also attended the ceremony. Col Walton
N.W. Rly., G.L. Colvin E.I. Rly., Mr Wathen, Madras and Southern Mahrattha
Rly., Mr Rothera, South India Railway. Mr Williamson Bengal and N.W. Rly., Mr.
Bliss, Assam Bengal Rly., Mr. Baumgartner, Jodhpur Rly., Mr Khan Bahadur Khan,
Mysore Rly.,
Training
calendar was planned and as many as 62 trainees were trained in Oct 1930. The
College had a red-letter day when Lord Irwin the Viceroy of India visited the
College on 23rd Oct 1930. The life of this college was really cut short when a
Retrenchment Advisory committee was formed by the Railway Board. Dr Ziauddin
Ahmed, a Member of the Advisory committee went on record calling the college an
“expensive luxury we cannot afford to maintain the college with a deficit of 10
crores in the budget…the college may be abolished and the buildings may be sold
to the Military department for locating the proposed Military College” Thus,
the Indian Military Academy was established in 1932. So, the college’s life
span at Dehradun was less than two years. The shift rather closures of Railway
Staff College, Dehradun was by the then Govt through the committee (appointed
by the then Govt) opined rather strongly that it was an expensive luxury
Railways cannot afford. The Chetwode committee of Govt. which had the brief to
suggest an alternative place for Military Academy had suggested three places
Mhow, Satara and Dehradun. Of course, Dehradun was way ahead as a readymade
building was available.
It was only after a gap of 22 years
that the Railway Staff College was set up in Pratap Vilas Palace on 31st
January 1952. 22 probationary officers of Transportation Commercial Department
of the Superior Revenue Establishment of Indian Railways later came to be known
as Indian Railway Traffic Service. Mr
P.C. Behl had the distinction of being the first Principal (2.1.1952-10.3.1956)
of Railway Staff College. He was formerly the CEO East Punjab Railway with HQ
at Delhi, later G.M. of S.E. Rly and a distinguished Railway officer of IRSE.
Incidentally, he was the father-in-law of Hindi films actress Nutan. The
College was inaugurated on 31stJan. 1952 by the Transport and Railway Minister
N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar in the presence of K. Santhanam Minister of State for
Rlys, Mr. F.C. Badhwar C.R.B. Mr V Neelakantan, Member Staff, A.K. Chanda F.C.,
K.P. Mushran G.M., W.R.
Cut to 25
years later, in the silver jubilee function of R.S.C. in Feb 1977 the former
Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad born in the Pratap Vilas palace recalled how he
spent first 9 years of his childhood in the palace and would act as Engine
driver of a specially made engine of narrow gauge, in which he would go to his
school at Sayaji Baug. He mentioned that when the British sought permission to
build Railway through his princely state they asked his grandfather whether he
would want any compensation. His grandfather asked for no compensation however,
wanted his state’s name in the Railways that explains Bombay Baroda &
Central India (BB&CI) Railway.
The Railway Staff College spread in 60
acres. Initially, Principal’s residence was in the 1st floor of the main Palace
itself, opposite the library wing. Its training calendar was always abuzz with
back-to-back courses. Inter alia, its
objective has all along been to foster esprit de corps among probationers
coming from different parts of India and among the different services. As also
to develop qualities of leadership among the officers. Some of the courses
which were going ‘full’ classroom Foundation Course, Induction Course,
Orientation courses Middle level courses e.g. Management Development Program,
Advance Management Program, Specialized courses such as Disciplinary Action
Rules, Reservation system, Vigilance, Vigilance for non-vigilance officers,
training programs for DRM/PHOD and G.Ms. There are more than hundred different
courses planned for a year. On any given day there will be a dozen courses
running concurrently in the college.
With excellent
library on General Management and transportation management in Asia, it boasts
of state-of-the-art sports facilities, courts and swimming pool. Principal used
to be the outstanding officers specially handpicked for the prestigious
assignment from the spectrum of very senior G.M. level Railway officers.
Carefully planned Industrial and field visits used to be regularly arranged for
the probationary officers. Similarly, project work, public speaking
exercises/classes, Inculcating Officer like qualities. The faculty used to
consist of the officers drawn from field to be able to impart to the trainee
officers balanced insight into theoretical and practical knowledge/application.
In less than 70 years we succeeded in
trivializing training in turn the training institutes, centralized or
otherwise. First to bear the onslaught was ‘training’ as a stream. Officers not
required in the field; officers sought to be eased out began to be posted (read
sidelined) to R.S.C. Teaching allowance as high as 30% of one’s basic pay also
failed to inspire and attract the talented and keen officers. A stage came
where the Principal later termed D.G., during panel formation itself found a
suffix (stigma) against their name ‘suitable for non-field post’
We generally go out of way rather go
overboard to please our superiors / bosses. During the last decade an idea
germinated that Railway should have a university of its own. Somehow opening as
many as a service specific institute as could be managed were opened, buildings
occupied and hefty budget arranged. R.S.C. in the year 2012 was got upgraded
from College to an Academy. Overnight the sign boards were repainted, the D.G. could
now say he was DG of The Academy not college.
Now if a college could become Academy,
then why not a full-fledged University. Railway University or better still
Transport University. A proposal emphasizing the ‘Must & Urgent’ need of a
Transport University in India was got
cleared from the Cabinet through the Ministry. The University, if at all
considered essential could have been set up anywhere in India. A place could
have been developed. A new asset could have been easily added. A backward area
could have been promoted. In short, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari the University
could have been set up in any State/UT. As mentioned above, when bureaucracy
decides to please superiors, sky is the limit. Though it was not required but
going out of way, two States for setting up the University viz Karnataka
(Minister’s home state) and of course, Gujarat were already being talked about.
Rest as they say is History and the College/Academy was lost just in 70 years
to become part of history. Railway officers could not even protest. How could
they? when it is all of their own making.
PS: meanwhile
the first batch of 95 IRMS probationers is diverted to IRITM Lucknow for their foundation
course
