TRICHY: Members of the All India Railway Act Apprentice Association have alleged that only North Indians were being given preference for appointments to vacancies and apprenticeship training in Southern Railways. The association has sought a high-level probe to act against the railway officials as well as cancel recruitments of those who got it fraudulently.“Out of 1,765 candidates who have been given the order to undergo apprenticeship training at the Golden Rock Railway Workshop in Trichy, only 165 were from Tamil Nadu . The remaining 1,600 candidates are from the northern states,” said A Arockia Regan, organiser of the association.A group of candidates who were denied apprenticeship training and failed in the railway recruitment examinations approached the district collector and petitioned their grievances demanding a national level probe in the scam.“As per the apprenticeship Act, 80% of local candidates should be given preference during the selection process for apprenticeship training. However, overruling entire norms, the railway department is conspiring against Tamils,” Arockia Regan alleged.“Only North Indians are being given preference for appointments to vacancies in Railway jobs, particularly in group D posts in Tamil Nadu. The recently released list by the Railways Recruitment Board show North Indians were favoured over those from Tamil Nadu. According to the list of candidates who had cleared the RRB examination, only North Indian candidates have been given preference. More than 10,000 Tamils who have successfully completed apprenticeship in railway over a period of time have not been given preference in recruitments,” he added.“Railway authorities from the northern states have hampered the recruitment process for posts like tacksman , helper, welder and gang man, for which knowledge of Tamil is mandatory and have recruited non-Tamil speaking North Indian candidates with high marks,” he said.

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