NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday met around 50 loco pilots of Indian Railways, at the New Delhi railway station.According to the party, during the interaction with him, loco pilots mainly complained about inadequate rest seeking a weekly rest of 46 hours. A statement issued by the party said that long working hours without adequate breaks causes great stress and lapses in concentration which is a major cause of accidents.This has been acknowledged by the railways in multiple reports including the recent probe in the accident in Visakhapatnam, read the statement.“The loco pilots demand a weekly rest of 46 hours. This means a train driver returning home on Friday afternoon will return to duty no later than Sunday morning. The Railways Act 1989 and other rules already provide for 30 + 16 hours of rest per week, which is not being implemented. Airplane pilots typically also get this quantity of rest. They also demand that two consecutive nights of duty should be followed by one night of rest, and trains should have basic amenities for drivers,” said the party.
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