If you raised a grievance against the Indian Railways any time after February this year, chances are it went straight to the third floor of the Railways Ministry where a first-of-its-kind 24×7 comprehensive monitoring unit has been established to address passenger complaints.
Up until last year, there was no mechanism for the Railway Minister or ministry officials to check if issues raised by passengers had been resolved to their satisfaction. As an official told News18, this was only possible for specific complaints that were highlighted.
“But with this war room, every single problem can be checked and we can ensure that passengers are truly satisfied. All this information is just a click away now. The war-room warriors follow all complaints until these are resolved and the passengers are satisfied,” the official said.
News18 visited the war room which is made up of six units that sit in a big room on the third floor of the Rail Ministry. Six people are deployed round-the-clock to monitor mechanical, commercial and operational issues and complaints related to traffic and security. One person is deployed to monitor social media. Around 2,000-3,000 complaints are received through various platforms each day.
The war room has six computers, all connected to a single display so that senior officials or Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw can supervise the work. The minister frequently visits the war room to monitor operations, the official quoted above added.
In total, 24 people work directly from the war room in three different shifts.
Equipped to deal with complaints ranging from non-functioning fans and light to women’s safety, the war room was established in December last year and has been fully functional since February.
It is important for the Railways that each and every passenger has a smooth ride and it is our responsibility to ensure that, the official told News18.
Sub-Inspector Sonia from the Railway Protection Force is part of this team and deals with security-related complaints. “We deal with complaints related to vendors, unauthorised travel, any security threat to passengers, any complaint related to women’s safety and any other issue that needs urgent response,” she told News18.
She added that the war room receives complaints from various sources, including social media and the railway helpline number 139.
“We analyse the problem and direct it to the division-level so that immediate help can be provided. The security complaints are not just limited to passengers inside the trains, but also those who are at the stations,” she added.
Her team also provided quick assistance to women who may feel unsafe or face any threat inside the train or at the station. “They can raise the issue on social media or at the helpline number 139. As soon as the complaint is raised, we can see it. And we ensure that timely help is provided,” said the sub-inspector.
Vasu Sharma, data entry operator at the war room, said he monitors and follows up on complaints raised on social media.
“I see a complaint and register it in the system. Then I can see what actions have been taken on those complaints by the concerned teams. When the team says the issue has been resolved, we close the complaint. However, if the passenger says it is still unresolved, we forward it to another team for resolution and they have to file a detailed report on the issue. We follow the complaints until they are resolved and make an entry in a sheet,” Sharma told News18.
Arun Pandey, Commercial Inspector, Rail War Room, deals with issues like misplaced parcels or any medical assistance that may be needed.
“We take up a complaint related to traffic. On issues related to medical help, we provide and ensure immediate help. Also, if any problem or complaint needs involvement of any higher authority, we escalate it,” he said.
Read all the Latest India News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
Comments
0 comment