If you filed a complaint against the Indian Railways anytime after February this year, it likely went straight to the third floor of the Ministry of Railways, where a first-of-its-kind comprehensive monitoring unit has been set up, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to serve passengers. complaints
Until last year, there was no mechanism for the Minister of Railways or ministry officials to verify whether problems 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 problem can be checked and we can make sure that the passengers are really satisfied. All this information is now just a click away. War room warriors follow up on all complaints until they 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 large room on the third floor of the Ministry of Railways. Six people are deployed 24 hours a day to monitor mechanical, business and operational issues and traffic and safety related complaints. A person is deployed to monitor social media. Every day between 2,000 and 3,000 complaints are received through various platforms.
The war room has six computers, all connected to a single screen so that senior officials or the Ashwini Vaishnaw minister can oversee the work. The minister frequently visits the war room to monitor operations, the aforementioned official added.
In total, 24 people work directly from the war room on three different shifts.
Equipped to handle complaints ranging from non-functioning fans and lights to women’s safety, the war room was established in December last year and has been fully operational since February.
It is important to the Railways that each and every passenger has a smooth journey and it is our responsibility to ensure that, the official told News18.
Sub-inspector Sonia of the Railway Protection Force is part of this team and deals with security-related complaints. “We deal with complaints related to vendors, unauthorized travel, any threat to passenger safety, any complaint related to the safety of women, and any other issue that requires an urgent response,” she told News18.
He added that the war room receives complaints from various sources, including social media and the 139th railway helpline.
“We looked into the issue and directed it to the division level so that immediate help can be provided. Safety complaints are not limited to just passengers inside the trains, but also those in the stations,” he added.
Her team also provided rapid assistance to women who may feel unsafe or face a threat on the train or in the station. “They can raise the issue on social media or on hotline number 139. As soon as the complaint is filed, we can see it. And we make sure that timely help is provided,” said the sub-inspector.
Vasu Sharma, a data entry operator in 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. So I can see what actions have been taken on those complaints by the teams in question. When the team says the issue has been resolved, we close the complaint. However, if the passenger says it’s still not resolved, we forward it to another team to resolve it and they have to file a detailed report on the issue. We track complaints until they are resolved and make an entry on a sheet,” Sharma told News18.
Arun Pandey, Trade Inspector, Rail War Room, deals with issues like lost parcels or any medical assistance that may be required.
“We received a traffic-related complaint. In matters related to medical help, we provide and ensure immediate help. Also, if any problem or complaint needs the involvement of some higher authority, we escalate it,” he said.
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