After a long time, Indian Railways through its Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB) have announced a massive recruitment to fill 18000 vacancies that come under NTPC category.Although many of us have seen Assistant Station Master, Reservation Clerk, Goods guard & Typists earlier not much is known about their job profile.But its necessary to know their roles, duties & future prospects before applying for these jobs.
Just like bank jobs, SSC jobs or other govt jobs the eligibility condition for jobs in Indian railways are also similar.Candidates applying for these openings should be a graduate.
As part of railways recruitment 2016 – 7591 Goods Guard vacancies are available across 21 RRBs in india.With so many openings, it is necessary for you to know who they are & what they do before applying for it.
Goods Guard Job Profile
Goods guard is the person who is responsible for safe delivery of the entire cargo loaded on that train.He can be seen in the brake van, a compartment attached to the last of the train which is also his work area.
Some of his duties are:
- Be readily available at the headquarters to report for duty.
- Ensure the proper working of emergency brakes at full capacity.
- Make sure the wagons are properly coupled to each other.
- Provide regular updates about track lines, crossovers, clearings to the loco pilot.
- Carry out all the necessary safety measures for the train
- Notify the pilot or authorities incase of finding any abnormalities
- Proper maintenance of the guard`s journal with necessary information of the travel.
In short, these goods guard must take full in-charge of the train while in motion ensuring safety of the cargo & coaches.
Guards usually work for 8-10 hours after which they are allowed to take rest for 15-16 hours in the ‘running room’ located at specific stations.They resume duty again on a different train.
But the conditions in which they work make it one of the toughest job in railways.With no proper lightning or toilet facilities available inside the brake van, ladies are not suited for this post.
Salary: Having said all this, the goods guard salary is among the highest.He gets more than 35,000/ month.In many cases, newly recruited GG`s draw Rs.60,000/ month primarily due to the travel & running allowances.
Once the 7th pay commission is included, the goods guard salary could rise even further.
Since the working conditions are being improved nowadays with the introduction of 8 wheel guard friendly brake vans,joining a guard is definitely a lucrative option for young male graduates.
If you are interested to apply as Goods Guard, see Railway Recruitment 2016 Notification for eligibility conditions & also read on How to fill post preferences in online application
Growth: Goods guard can get promoted to Passenger Guard (passenger trains) > Mail Guard (superfast/ express trains).
Guards in passenger trains have an additional responsibility of ensuring safety of passengers while boarding & unboarding the train.But they can expect improvement in working conditions with adequate facilities available in his cabin.
