Railway Board Ends British Raj Practice Of Appointing Bungalow Peon

New Delhi: The Railway Board has decided to not have the fresh appointment of Telephone Attendant cum Dak Khalasi (TADK) or bungalow peons, a practice which had been continuing since the British Raj.

Railways set to end colonial-era khalasi system; no fresh recruitment to the post, according to official order

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 7, 2020

In a communication to all the zones on Thursday, the Railway Board said the issue regarding the appointment of TADK is “under review” and it has been decided that “fresh face substitute as TADK should not either be processed or made with immediate effect.” It also said all approval of such appointments since July 1 may be reviewed.

These employees carry out several menial tasks at the residence of senior officers. A TADK is treated as a temporary employee of Indian Railways in the Group D category after the initial 120 days of service. The posting becomes a permanent one after a screening test on completion of three years of service.

Indian Railways last month issued an order to end the British-era practice of using Dak Messengers, or personal messengers, for official communications and move towards video conferencing in a bid to save costs.

Bungalow peons have been posted at the residences of railway officers to perform duties such as attending to telephone calls and carrying files from their offices to homes. Over the years, concerns have been raised that TADKs were being used by officers to perform their household chores.