Micro-slipping effect is a phenomenon in which the drivers of trains have a wink or some sort of a 'nap attack' for a second or two, due to lack of proper rest.

The secretary general of All-India Loco Running Staff MN Prasad who was at the Ludhaina railway station for a national convention programme to motivate the loco running staff said there had been a spurt of such cases wherein loco pilots happened to miss signals or apply brakes in time, thus leading to accidents.

This, he said, clearly indicated the safety hazards in rail journeys stemming from loco pilot's health which the railway authorities have long been ignoring. "Owing to lack of proper rest and less number of sleeping hours, the drivers become more susceptible to causing accidents. Nearly 10 of such incidents have taken place in the South Eastern Railways," Prasad said.

"The erratic work hours are taking a toll on the health of loco pilots. A driver needs to rest properly so that he is vigilant when on duty. At least once in two nights he needs to have sleep at night as the day's sleep cannot provide the same kind of relief.

On the contrary, it has been found that most of the loco pilots drive long distances, sometimes without getting proper rest for consecutive nights," he told Newsline while talking about their demands to provide proper facilities and rest from time to time.

"The railways are treating its loco pilots as machines. According to a survey conducted by Nagpur-based Labour Institute, health deterioration was found in up to 30 per cent of 300 loco pilots covered in the survey," Prasad said. "This is a cause for concern for all, whether it's the loco pilots, the railway authorities or the passengers. Therefore, we want the railways administration do something in this regard."

While pointing anomalies in the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendation for loco pilots' pay scales, he added that the All-India Loco Running Staff Association has decided to press for the implementation of their demands that include, among others, hiking the grade pay of assistant loco pilots from Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,800, maintaining the functional difference among drivers of goods trains, passenger trains and mail trains and accordingly provide them promotional avenues.