RBE No. 147/1997: Posting of Husband and Wife

No.E(NG)I-97/TR/28, dated 05.11.1997
(Supplementary Circular No.6 to Master Circular No.24)

Sub: Posting of husband and wife at the same place – Instructions in respect of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ Railway employees.

1. The extant instructions regarding posting of husband and wife at the same station are contained in the Ministry of Railways letter No.E(NG)II/71/TR/14, dated 01.10.1971 as reiterated in their letter No.E(NG)I-86-TR/14, dated 06.01.1988 (RBE No. 08/1988). These instructions have also been included in the consolidated instructions regarding inter-railway and intra-railway transfers of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees issued to Railways etc. vide Board’s letter No.E(NG)I-96/TR/28, dated 06.12.1996 (RBE No. 122/1996).
2. The Fifth Central Pay Commission has recommended that not only the existing instructions regarding the need to post husband and wife at the same station need to be reiterated but the scope of these instructions should also be widened to include the provisions that where posts at appropriate level exist in the organization at the same station, the husband and wife may invariably be posted together in order to enable them to lead a normal family life and look after the welfare of the children specially till the children are 10 years of age.
3. Pursuant to acceptance, by the Govt. of the recommendations of the Fifth Central Pay Commission on the subject it is reiterated that the Railway Administration etc. should strictly adhere to the existing instructions referred to above while deciding on the request for posting of husband and wife at same station and should ensure that such posting is invariably done, especially till the children are 10 years of age, if posts at the appropriate level exist in the organization at the same station and if no administrative problems are expected to arise as a consequence.
4. It is further clarified that in cases where only the wife is a railway servant, the concession indicated in para 3 above would be advisable to the railway servant.
5. Board has also decided to lay down the following guidelines to enable the Cadre Controlling Authorities to consider the requests from the spouse for posting at the same station having regard to the considerations as indicated above:

(i) Where both the spouses are railway employees and belong to the same seniority unit:
Both the Railway servants may be posted at the same station/ place ensuring that one of them does not work as subordinate to the other.
(ii) Where both the spouses are railway servants but belong to different seniority units:
Efforts may be made to post both the railway servants at the station where post at appropriate level exist in the respective seniority units failing which requests for change of the category may be considered sympathetically.
(iii) Where one of the spouses is a Railway servant and the other belongs to All India Service or a Central Service:
The railway servant should be posted at station/ place in the Railways/ Division/ PU in whose territorial jurisdiction the place/ state of posting of his/ her spouse falls or as close to it as possible if there is no Railway Organization/ Post at the place state of posting of the spouse.
(iv) Where one of the spouse is a railway servant and the other belongs to state service:
The railway servant should be posted at the station/ place in the Railway/ Division/ PU in whose territorial jurisdiction the place/ state of posting of his/ her spouse falls. If it is not possible, if a request from the railway servant to the Controlling Authority of the spouse for his/ her posting at the place of posting of the railway servant is received the same may be forwarded to the concerned authority for sympathetic consideration.
(v) Where one of the spouses is a railway servant and the other is working in a Central/ State/ Public Sector Undertaking/ Autonomous Body/ Private Sector:
The railway servant may apply to the controlling authority for a posting at the place of posting of his/ her spouse favorably by the competent authority. If no post is available for posting of the railway servant at the place of posting of the spouse he/ she may be posted to a place closer to the place of posting of the spouse. If this also is not possible an application from railway servant for posting of the spouse who is working in the Central/ State/ Public Sector Undertaking may be forwarded to the Controlling Authority of the spouse for his/ her posting at or near the place of posting of railway servant.

5.1 The guidelines given above are only illustrative and not exhaustive. The Ministry of Railways desire that in all other cases the controlling authority of the railway servants should consider requests from non-gazetted Railway servants for transfer to the place of posting of their spouses with utmost sympathy.
6. While all efforts as stated in the foregoing paragraphs may be made to post the husband and wife at the same station, instructions issued by the Board from time to time in regard to request transfer/ change of category should be followed in all such cases. A separate register may be maintained at each Divisional and Zonal Headquarters of the Railways for registering requests for transfers from railway servants for posting at the place of posting of their spouses, which may be reviewed from time to time.

Download Railway Board Circular RBE No. 147/1997

Forward reference ⇒ RBE No. 80/1998