120 Station Masters in Pune Railway Division Stage ‘Power Day’ Agitation, Submit Memorandum with Key Demands

Pune, 11th August 2025: As part of the nationwide “Power Day” observance on August 11, the All India Station Masters’ Association (AISMA) Pune Division staged a peaceful demonstration and submitted a memorandum of demands to the Divisional Railway Manager for forwarding to the Railway Board Chairman and CEO.

The protest saw the participation of 120 station masters from across the division. AISMA leaders, including former national general secretary Dhananjay Chandratray, divisional secretary Purushottam Singh, and divisional president Krishna Murari, led the agitation.

The memorandum, addressed to the Railway Board through the DRM Pune, commemorated the first “Power Day” held on August 11, 1997, and outlined six major national-level demands:

Key Demands:

1. Restructuring and Promotion Avenues for Senior Station Masters and Station Masters to strengthen supervision and improve efficiency.

2. Removal of the ₹43,600 Basic Pay Ceiling for Night Duty Allowance to ensure fair compensation for all eligible staff.

3. Grant of Safety/Stress Allowance recognising the high responsibility and mental strain of station masters’ duties.

4. Grant of Gazetted Status to the station master cadre without financial burden to the Railways.

5. Abolition of the Essentially Intermittent (EI) Roster to provide fair duty hours and improve work-life balance.

6. Scrapping of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and restoration of the statutory pension for railway employees.

“This show of unity has sent a strong message. We hope there will be a positive and timely response to these genuine demands,” said Purushottam Singh, Divisional Secretary, AISMA Pune.

The agitation was part of coordinated demonstrations in all 68 railway divisions across the country, with AISMA members submitting memorandums for both national and divisional-level demands.