Kozhikode: Porters turn thing of past

KOZHIKODE: The porter community of the railway station who rushes to assist passengers with their baggage to eke out a living, is fast dwindling in recent times. Only a few youngsters are expressing interest in the job due to inconsistency in income. Ten years ago, there were more than hundred porters. Now there are around 60 of whom only 20 are present regularly in the station.

Though porters are considered as an integral part of the railways, they were not given benefits like regular salary, pension and job security. K.P Naraynan, 61, a senior porter told DC that the income they earned per day was around Rs100 to 300 which makes it difficult to run families. “There are also days with zero income”, he added. “The only provision the railways provide is a pass to travel on the train inside Kerala free once a year with one of our family members”, he added.

Many pointed out that due to the advent of trolley bags, a majority of travelers were able to carry the luggage themselves which has resulted in a porter’s job being redundant. Another young porter Abdulla Koya said, “we were not able to attend the test for fourth grade employees in the railways as there was an age limit of 50 years”.   “We pay '36 to the railways for our uniforms. All we ask is to give us a pension”, he added.