Lockdown: Railways upscale helpline services, respond to over 2 lakh queries in 14 days

In a bid to help railway passengers, other citizens and resolve issues in freight operations, Indian Railways has upscaled the helpline facilities after the imposition of a countrywide lockdown. Amid the surge in distress calls, Railway personnel have responded to over 2,05,000 queries in first two weeks of lockdown on designated communication platforms, 90 per cent (over 1,85,000) of which were handled through direct human interaction over the phone.

Railway control office has been doing 24x7 monitoring of four communication and feedback platforms to ensure a seamless flow of information and suggestions between the  Railway administration and the general public during the lockdown.

The helpline operation is being manned round-the-clock by Director-level officers. These officers monitor citizen feedback and their suggestions received on social media and  through mail, and ensure that appropriate action is taken to alleviate any difficulties faced by Railway customers, especially in goods transportation, during the period of lockdown. Meanwhile, field officers at the level of ADRMs monitor at their divisional level as a part of this team.

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Coordinated efforts by Railway Ministry

With the active cooperation of IRCTC base kitchens located across the country, nearly 10.2 lakh cooked meals had been distributed till April 10 to the needy. Of these, over 60 per cent meals were provided by IRCTC, about 2.3 lakh meals were provided by RPF and nearly 2 lakh meals were donated by NGOs in association with the railway organizations. 

The food is distributed with the help of RPF, GRP, commercial departments of zones, state governments and NGOs. GMs/DRMs of concerned Zone and division also coordinate with IRCTC officials to enhance the outreach beyond the Railway station vicinity. 

The Railway Protection Force has majorly facilitated food distribution to the needy. Distributing food to 5,419 needy persons over 74 locations since March 28, the number has grown daily. RPF has distributed approximately 6.5 lacs meals over 313 locations till April 10.

READ: Kejriwal confirms lockdown extension, says 'PM has taken correct decision to extend'

Meanwhile, as per health ministry, India has conducted 1,44,910 tests on 130,792 suspected COVID-19 patients in 146 government and 67 private laboratories. The country till Saturday reported 1035 new cases in the last 24 hours, the sharpest ever increase in cases and 40 deaths, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 7,447. Over 642 patients have recovered and been discharged. 

READ: Mumbai: BMC begins screening all 7.5 lakh Dharavi residents for Coronavirus after 4 deaths

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