IIT Bombay graduate joins railways as trackman in Jharkhand

Shrawan Kumar, a post graduate from IIT Bombay, has shocked everyone by joining Indian Railways in a Group D post as he believed that it was a more stable job than private sector employment, according to reports.

Kumar will work as a track maintainer, popularly known as trackman, at Chandrapura in Jharkhand under Dhanbad railway division’s Public Works Inspector (PWI), Telo, and will look after the track maintenance between Chandrapura and Telo section, a Hindustan Times report said.

The resident of Bihar’s Patna holds a BTech and MTech degree from IIT Bombay. He had taken up Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science course under the integrated dual degree in 2010 and completed it in 2015.

Kumar is expected to get a salary of around Rs 21,000 per month, whereas his peers from the IIT would be making lakhs working in multinational companies (MNCs).

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When asked about his choice, Shrawan said there is stability in government job, that is not there in private employment, Hindi newspaper Amar Ujala reported.

“No job is big or small. We should not leave any opportunity that comes to us,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.

A track maintainer will have to maintain smooth and safe tracks for trains. The person will have to walk along the railway lines and check the condition of tracks, attend to minor works, tightening of clamps, joints, etc and ensure its repair.

Kumar’s joining has come as a surprise to many, including officials of Dhanbad railway division. They have said that they never thought that such a highly qualified person would join a Group D post in Railways.

Many of his friends are in private jobs, but they failed to convince Kumar to join them or some top companies.

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Shrawan said during placement in IIT Bombay, companies offered him non-core jobs, but “I wanted job in core sector only”, Amar Ujala reported.

This is his first job, which he joined on July 30, and he said he will work hard for a promotion in due time.