2. FUNCTIONS
The Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee at the Headquarter represent the general railway users of the territory or zone served by the railway as a whole and consider matters relating to:

1. Provision of amenities in the area with which the Committee is concerned.
2. Proposals regarding opening of new stations within the jurisdiction of the Committee.
3. Improvement of the services and facilities provided by the Railways.
4. Any subject of general public interest or public grievances or such matters affecting the services and facilities which has been the subject of representation by users.
5. Matters arising from the reports of the Divisional Committees of this railway, or such other matters relating to the subjects referred to in item (i) to (iv) above, as may be specifically forwarded by the Divisional Committees of this railway for consideration and
6. Matters referred for consideration and report by the administration, Ministry of Railway or the National Railway Users Consultative Council.

3. The functions of the Zonal railway Users Consultative Committee shall be consultative in character.

4. Subjects relating to railway rates and fares and question relating to staff, discipline and appointment etc. shall not be brought before the committee. The committee shall have no authority to enquire in to or interfere in any way with the General Administration of the railway.

5. COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE.

The Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee shall consist of persons appointed by the Minister of Railways to represent the general railway users in the territory served by this railway, as detailed below:

1. One representative each of the Government of the States served by the Railway, as recommended by such State Governments.
2. One member each of the State Legislatures recommended by the State Govt.
3. One representative each of not more than five Principal Chambers of Commerce and Trade Associations having a standing of not less than five years and approved by the state Government concerned.
4. One representative each of not more than two Agricultural Associations and other bodies included in or affiliated to the chambers of commerce etc. , referred to in (iii) above, to be recommended by the state Government.
5. One non-official representative elected from each of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committees (excluding MPs nominated on the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee.
6. One representative each of two, Public Sector Undertaking including ports in the case of Railways serving ports.
7. One representative each of one or two registered Passengers Associations functioning in the area covered by the Railway.
8. Three members of Parliament, two from the L.S. and one from the R.S..
   (One member to represent “Special Interests” to be nominated on the recommendation of the General Manager.
9. One member to represent Consumer Protection Voluntary organization.
10. Not more than eight representative of “Special Interests” not otherwise represented on the Committee will be nominated by the Minister.
    
    N.B. (a) Persons holding assignments of profit connected with the Railways. e.g. catering and vending contractors, Out-agency contractors, Handling contractors, Engineering contractors of who are intimately and directly connected with the day to day working at goods sheds etc. e.g. forwarding agents are debarred from the membership of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee.
    
    Person nominated under the category of Special Interest are entitled to become a member of only one Consultative Committee. The State represented on the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, West Central Railway, Jabalpur will be:-
    
    MadhyaPradesh
    Rajasthan
     

6. The Members of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee representing Industries, Commerce and Trade are ordinarily drawn from important Local Chamber or Associations representing pre-dominant trade interests and approved by the State Governments concerned. After the Chamber of Associations etc. are approved for representation by the Minister, how the Chambers or Associations etc. select their representative, i.e. by election or otherwise, is left to them.

7. The General Manager will be the Chairman of the Committee, and The General manager shall appoint a senior most officer of the Railway to act. For him as Chairman during his absence. Any other officer as may be nominate for the purpose by the General Manager will functions as secretary of the Committee. The chairman of the committee may invite any officer of this Railway to attend the meetings if his presence is considering necessary.

8. TENURE OF OFFICE
The nomination to the committee shall be for a period not exceeding two years. The tenure of the committee shall commence from April and shall run for a full terms of two years from this month unless otherwise notified. The minister for Railways terminate earlier the tenure of office, if considers necessary.

9. LEAVE OF ABSENCE
It shall be competent for the Chairman to sanction leave of absence to a Member of the committee.
Note - If a representative of an Association/Chamber is unable to attend a meeting and gives advance notice to that effect, the Association will be allowed to send a substitute representative to the meeting of the committee with the permission of the chairman.
10. PROCEEDINGS
The committee shall meet three times in a year. The date and time of the meeting will be settled by the committee itself. The venue of the meeting shall be Jabalpur being the Headquarter of the Zone.

11. A copy of the minutes of the meeting shall be furnished to each Member of the Committee, two copies each to the Secretary, Railway Board, New Delhi and to the Librarian, Parliament library, Parliament House, New Delhi, three copies to the Librarian, Railway Ministry, Railway Board, New Delhi one copy each to the Secretaries, Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee of the other Zonal Railway, and one copy each to Heads of Departments and Divisional Railway Managers of the West Central Railway.

12. The Agenda for each meeting shall be circulated to all members ten days before the date of the meeting. Notice of any subject which a member-desired to forward for discussion must reach the Secretary of the Committee, at least one and a half month before the date of the meeting, Urgent business may, however with the consent of the Chairman, be brought forward for consideration without previous notice.

13. The proceeding shall be confidential, but a short summary of the proceedings will be prepared and given to the press.
Note:- a) No quorum is prescribed for the meeting of the committee.

14. If in the course of election of representatives of this Committee to serve on other consultative committees or bodies, two or more members of the committee secure equal number of votes, the Chairman of the Committee holding the election will exercise his casting vote to decide the election.

15. Travel Facilities:

(i) For members other than MPs, MLAs/MLCs and official members.

Non-official members of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, when attending meetings of the Committee or its sub-committees, may be granted traveling facilities as shown below:-

A first class Pass from the railway station nearest to the member’s place of residence to the place of the meeting.
A similar facility for the return journey.

Note:- 1) In case, the Member desires to travel in Air-Conditioned accommodation, he will be required to pay the difference in fares between First Class and air-Conditioned accommodation.

2) Break of Journey is permissible enroute, however in calculating the traveling allowance payable to the member, the additional days involved in such break of journey will not be taken into account.

(ii) FOR OFFICIAL MEMBERS
Official members (i.e. representatives of State Govt. and Public Sector Undertakings) nominated on the Committee will be governed by traveling allowance rules as applicable to them in their parent departments/organizations and the cost there of will be borned by those department/organizations.

(iii) FOR MEMBER OF STATE LEGISLATURES
A free First class pass may be issued to MLAs/MLCs for their journeys from the railway station nearest to their place of residence to the place of meeting and back. In case the MLAs/MLCs makes such a request, return journey passes may also be issued from the place of meeting to the station serving the town in which the State Legislature is situated.

(iv) FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
(a) A Member of Parliament will ordinarily travel by rail utilizing the free First class railway pass issued to him. He may also travel by air at his discretion. Air travel should not however be resorted to as a matter of course and in exercising his discretion the member should take into account factors like urgency of work, distance to be traveled, time at his disposal etc. where two classes of accommodation. i.e. First and Economy (Tourist) class are available on the airlines, a Member of Parliament may travel by First Class.

(b)While normally no passes are required to be issued to Members of Parliament as they have been provided with identity card-cum railway passes, specific requests from them for issue of 1st class complimentary passes for attending meetings of the committee or its sub-committee may, however, be complied with in case the identity card-cum-railway pass is reported lost.

(v)Requests from members for issue of passes from the railway station nearest to the Member’s “temporary” residence, whether for attending meeting of the committee or for any other work of the committee, may be considered on merits and passes issued with the personal approval of the General Manager provided that the distance between the temporary place of residence and the venue of the meeting is less than the distance between the permanent place of residence and the venue of the meeting.

(vi)Pass for return journey can also be issued to a station other than the place of residence, provided the distance is less than the distance of the station from which the pass for the outward journey is issued.

(vii)Members of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee are also allowed to take one attendant in second class while traveling in connection with the work of the committee.

The term “attendant” is defined as a persons employed on a salary in the personal service of the pass holder it includes a whole time domestic employee such as Bearer, Butlar, cook, ayah, etc. but does not include tutor, darji, dhobi etc. or any relative of the pass holder acting in the capacity of a servant.

6. TRAVELLING AND DAILY ALLOWANCES

(i) Non-official Members (other than MPs and MLAs./MLCs)

(a) Daily allowance at the rate of Rs 68/- per diem for the duration of the meeting and a traveling allowance of Rs 45/- per day as out-of-pocket expenses for any calendar day or day spent, in traveling between the railway station nearest to the Member’s place of residence and the place of meeting, and vice-versa, This out-of-pocket allowance of Rs 45/- will not be paid for the day or days for which the daily allowance of Rs 68/- is admissible.

(b) If the place of residence is at a distance of mere than 8 kms. from the nearest railway station, the actual out-of-pocket expenses for the journey between his place of residence and the railway station, subject to maximum of thirty-two-paise per kilometer.
(ii)OFFICIAL MEMBERS

Official Members of the Committee, e.g. representatives of State Govt. and Public sector undertaking etc. will not be entitled to the allowance prescribed above. The traveling allowance of these Members’s will be regulated under their own rules and borne by their respective departments/organizations.
(iii)MLAs/MLCs

(a)The TA and DA (including conveyance allowance) of Members of State Legislatures appointed to serve on the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee or its sub-Committee will be regulated under the TA Rules of the State Government concerned and they will be treated as their First Grade Officers for this purpose during non-session period of the State Legislatures, and during the session of State Legislatures they will be governed by their respective payment of salaries and Allowance and Removal of Disqualification Acts. Members of State Legislatures will not draw TA and DA (including conveyance allowance) which may disqualify them from the State Legislatures.

(b)MLAs/MLCs will be eligible for daily/traveling allowance subject to the conditions that:-

(1) The daily allowance is not payable on any day for which the member is entitled to his daily allowance as a MLA or MLC.
(2) The traveling allowance will be calculated on the number of days spent in traveling between the Railway station nearest to his place of residence and the place of meeting, and vice-versa and will be limited to recoup the actual expenditure incurred by the member, for this purpose the claim of the member will include on appropriate certificate to the following effects:-

“Certified that the expenditure actually incurred by me in performing the function as a member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee for which traveling allowance/ conveyance allowance has been claimed in this bill, was not less than the amount claimed.”

(Signature of MLA/MLC)

(ii) MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

(A) A member of Parliament will ordinarily travel by rail utilizing the identity card-cum-Railway pass issued to him. He may also travel by air at his discretion. If the journey is performed by air, the member will be entitled to an amount equal to one and one-fourth of the air-fare for such journey as out-of-pocket expense.

(B) The Member of Parliament can also travel by road for attending the meeting of the committee in preference to rail. In such cases the member of Parliament is entitled to draw the road mileage allowance at the rate of Rs 2.00 per km. in place of the traveling allowance which would have been admissible to him if he had traveled by rail, provided that the total amount of traveling allowance drawn by such member for the journey shall not exceed the amount which have been admissible to him, had he performed the journey by rail.

(C) In case the member of Parliament travels by rail, traveling allowance of an amount equal to one single journey first class fare and one second class fare as out-of-pocket expenses for each journey between the railway station nearest to the place of residence and the place of meeting, and vice-versa.

(D) Daily allowance at the rate of Rs 150/- per Diem for the duration of the meeting.

24.2. In addition to this daily allowance for the day(s) of the meeting, a member shall also be entitled to daily allowance for two days proceeding and two days following the meeting if he actually stays to the place of the meeting on these days.

24.3. Members of Parliament will be eligible for the above allowance subject to the conditions that:-

i). The daily allowance is not payable on any day on which the Member is entitled to his daily allowance as a M.P.
ii) The out-of-pocket allowance (viz. an amount equal to one first class fare and one second class fare between the Railway Station nearest to his place of residence and the place of meeting and vice versa) will be limited to recoup the actual expenditure incurred by the Member of Parliament. For this purpose the claim of the Member of Parliament will include an appropriate certificate to the following effect:-

“Certified that the expenditure actually incurred by me in performing the function as a member of the Zonal railway users Consultative Committee for which traveling allowance/ conveyance allowance has been claimed in this bill, was not less than the amount claimed.”

(Signature of M.P)

iii) Where the amount of actual expenditure incurred is less than the maximum amount payable under the above rules, the amount of allowance should be reduced to the amount of actual expenditure which can be certified as above.

25. Members of Parliament and State Legislatures are eligible for traveling allowance for journey actually performed in connection with the meeting of the committee, etc.

i) From and to the place of their permanent residence to be named in advance, provided that if any member performed a journey from a place other than the place of his permanent residence to attend meeting or returns to a place other than the place of his permanent residence after the termination of the meeting traveling allowance shall be worked out on the basis of the distance actually traveled or the distance between the place of permanent residence and the venue of the meeting which is less.

ii) From the place of meeting of the Parliament / State Legislature to the venue of a meeting of the committee, etc. and back if the to and from journey ate undertaking while attending the Session of parliament / State Legislature.

iii) From the place of one such meeting to the place of another such meetings in case the two meeting are held in succession.IX USE OF REST HOUSES/RETIRING ROOMS

i) Rest Houses/ Retiring Rooms shall be allotted free of charge to members of consultative committee for attending the meeting of the committee at the place of meeting only.

Note:- The period up to which free accommodation can normally be made available for attending any meeting specifically called by the Railway should not exceed three days i.e. the day of the meeting and one day before and after the meeting. This period will be reduced for places like Bombay and other important towns where there is heavy pressure on retiring rooms at stations, to a maximum of 48 hours.

ii) Members specifically asked to undertake any work connected with the committee by the Railway will be given free accommodation in Rest Houses/Retiring Rooms for the period the same is essentially needed at the discretion of the Railway.

iii) Members undertaking tour in lieu of conducted Tours which either do not materialize or are not participated in will not be given free accommodation in Public Retiring Rooms. Accommodation in the officers Rest Houses if available will be provided free of charge for a period not exceeding the limit mentioned in the note under item

iv) Free accommodation is not allotted to members undertaking journey on their own with a view to get themselves acquainted with matters coming within the purview of the committee. In such cases, if requested by the members, they may be given the facility of accommodation in the Rest House/ Retiring Rooms, if accommodation is available, on payment of normal charge as are applicable to Railway officers not on duty.

LIST OF MEMBER’s OF THE PRSENT ZRUCC COMMITTEE

(B) PARTICIPATION OF RAILWAY EMPLOYEE IN MANAGEMENT (PREM)

With an objective of more effective and more meaningful participation of workers in the management process PREM group is constituted in WCR w.e.f. 01.04.2003. During PREM meeting matters of Rly safety, security, and performance review are discussed. The constitution of PREM group is as under-

Chairman - GM/WCR
Secretary - DGM

Members – Four representative of West Central Rail Employees Union.

Four representative of West Central Rail Mazdoor Sangh.
Two representative of West Central Rail RPF. Association.
Two representative of West Central Rail Officers Association.
Two representative of Promotee officers Association.