Minister Akom has ordered an investigation into the case of a railway employee claiming overtime pay of 100,000 Baht per month, instructing the board to ascertain the facts. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) explained that there is only one station master on duty, and the work is considered 'risky'. Meanwhile, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) is moving forward with the construction of the Pink, Yellow, and Orange Line pillars this August and July.

      Deputy Transport Minister Phichit Akra-thit revealed that a railway employee had claimed a total of 401 hours of overtime, amounting to 102,271.04 Baht, with the total for the month reaching 163,481.04 Baht. Minister Akom has instructed Acting SRT Governor Anan Leuangboriboon to investigate this matter and has also assigned the SRT board to look into it, as it relates to the policy of reducing unnecessary expenses.

      "The Ministry of Transport's policy is to review expenses, reform operations regarding route adjustments, and investigate any corruption. This current issue also requires a fact-check, and we expect to have a conclusion within two weeks," said Phichit.

      Deputy SRT Governor Thonongsak Pongprasert stated that the station where the overtime was claimed has only one employee, the station master, who is responsible for overseeing construction work on the railway from 6 PM until morning. However, this does not mean the station master is on duty the entire time. The reason for the full overtime claim is that he is considered responsible for overseeing the work.

      According to reports, Director of Passenger Services at SRT, Araya Pindadit, clarified that the overtime claim document shared online is genuine, including the dates and amounts listed. The reason for the 401 hours of overtime is that SRT is currently accelerating maintenance work on the railway in the three southern border provinces, necessitating the station master to work overtime every day for a full month in May to expedite repairs.

      "Typically, stations in the three southern border provinces are considered more dangerous than others, which is why SRT has only assigned one station master to work there. He works regular hours every day, so if SRT requires work outside of regular hours for repairs, we must ask this station master to do overtime, as there is only one employee on duty. The claim of over 100,000 Baht in overtime is not a regular occurrence; it only happened in May," Araya explained.

      Deputy Governor of the MRTA, Phakphong Sirikhanthamas, stated that MRTA is expediting the clearance of areas along the construction of the Yellow Line project from Lat Phrao to Samrong, covering a distance of 30.4 km, and the Pink Line from Khae Rai to Min Buri, which is 34.5 km long. It is expected that the areas will be cleared, allowing contractors to begin construction by the third quarter, or by August-September. For the Orange Line, testing of the weight-bearing pillars will commence on July 10 at the front of Mistis Ramkhamhaeng Company.

Source: www.thaipost.net