A four-decade-old technical physique, the Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COFMOW), which specialises in procurement of machines for Railways, shall be shut down from December 1, the Railway Ministry ordered on Tuesday.
The choice is in step with the coverage to shed flab by shutting down authorities organisations in Railways which have outlived their utility, as per final yr’s suggestions by Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the PM’s Financial Advisory Council.
COFMOW was arrange in 1979 to modernise numerous Railways manufacturing models and different workshops that have been transitioning from mechanical machines to extra superior, computer-controlled machines. It picked up the experience of procuring complicated machines for Railways, lending to the method the institutional information of costs and technical soundness, compatibility of contemporary machines.
Officers informed The Indian Categorical that such was the specialisation of this organisation that different authorities our bodies typically sought COFMOW’s inputs and help for his or her numerous procurement.
Officers of the Indian Railway Mechanical Engineering stream have been largely posted there, with the workplace primarily based in Delhi’s ITO space.
Sources within the authorities stated that a complete, separate organisation is not required for the job of procurement alone, and the procurement that COFMOW does may be performed by officers in numerous zonal railways, manufacturing models and workshops.
Emphasising that there’s “no implication” on the procurement course of, a supply stated, “COFMOW has officers from the Railways posted there in the midst of regular switch and posting. It’s the identical officers with senior grades who do technical procurement for zonal railways when they’re posted there. So there is no such thing as a query of lack of experience to the procurement course of. That is about rationalisation of assets.”
COFMOW was arrange for modernisation of workshops, and all workshops are modernised immediately, an official stated. The present tenders of COFMOW will go to respective zonal railways; officers and employees shall be posted in numerous railways; and the workplace area shall be obtainable for different appropriate functions, they stated.
Sources stated the subsequent in line to be shut down is the Central Organisation for Railway Electrification — doubtless by the tip of 2023, by which era virtually all the broad gauge community will stand electrified.