NORTHERN RAILWAY GEARS TO MEET A DEMANDING FESTIVAL RUSH SEASON 2015

NORTHERN RAILWAY GEARS TO MEET A DEMANDING FESTIVAL RUSH SEASON 2015

Festive Rush periods are thus characteristic demanding times for the Railway. To cater to this challenging task, Northern Railway has rolled out a comprehensive action plan with a slew of initiatives to ensure utmost safety in regulation of crowds while making sure that passenger convenience is available at stations and in trains in this hectic period.

SPECIAL TRAINS AND AUGMENTATION:

Northern Railway marked a very noteworthy period by carrying a phenomenal volume of 54.45 million passengers from April to August 2015 during the current financial year. Envisaging a more demanding festive rush this year, the Railway had geared up its operations through multi-pronged strategies. For the convenience of rail passengers and in order to clear extra rush during this festival season, Northern Railway has planned and commenced running of 44 pairs of Special trains( total 88 trains) running o­n Northern Railway system in co-ordination with other Railways. Of these, there are 9 pairs of Suvidha Express trains, 29 pairs of Express specials, 3 pairs of Jansadharan Trains and 3 pairs of Passenger trains to 31 destinations.

MONITORING OF RESERVATION CENTRES:

• At IRCA CCTV cameras have been installed at the entrance gate and passenger half to keep a close eye o­n touting activities.
• Display and information boards for proper guidance of passengers and for providing detail of special trains
• Officers/Inspectors/Supervisors are deputed at important PRS locations
• They will also ensure that counters are opened at right time.
• Proper and frequent announcements are made
• Token system has been introduced to streamline flow of queue

PREVENTIVE AND DECOY CHECKS

The Vigilance Department of Northern Railway has also earmarked the Pooja Rush period from 05.10.2015 to 20.11.2015 as a Special Drive period when intense checks are undertaken to ensure complaint free, smooth and transparent services to the passengers. Through stepping up vigil, the Vigilance teams were able to nab 95 touts during the current financial year upto 15.10.2015.  The Railway Protection Force of Northern Railway is also undertaking focused efforts to curb malpractices and address issues like touting at stations. CCTVs  has so far been provided at 14 centers in Delhi area & 15 PRS centers in other than Delhi area.

The following are some of the pro-active measures being taken by the organization:-

• Raid o­n the premises of Unauthorized Travel Agents, Yatri Ticket Sewak Kendras and Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sewak centres with the help of local police/CBI in order to check/seize blocking of reservation under fictitious names and subsequent sale of transferred tickets.
• Queue Management System was introduced at IRCA New Delhi for Train Reservation to facilitate passengers who stand in long queue for getting their train reservations. Under this system o­ne token is allotted to the passenger as per type of reservation i.e. Tatkal/General/Special Service from Token dispensers installed at IRCA entry point.
• Special Drives to detect fake/forged tickets/Blank Paper Tickets/Extra Fare Tickets resale/reuse unused/unsold tickets, etc.
• Special Checks to prevent misuse of various quotas especially emergency quota, roadside quota, Tatkal quota and quota nowadays being kept for amenities staff in important trains.
• Decoy checks and checks o­n unauthorized vendors and catering stalls and train side vending.
• Checks o­n change of name of passengers o­n reserved tickets. Statement of ‘name change’ shall be drawn out in Chief Commercial Manager/ Passenger Reservation System’s office o­n a daily basis to study and stop any misuse thereof.
• Special Watch o­n Tatkal reservation to prevent unauthorized persons cornering Tatkal tickets.
• Travel agencies, which are being run by close relatives of railway employees, to be discreetly identified, close monitoring o­n the aspect of connivance of other railway employees with Reservation Clerks o­n jumping the queue and seeking tickets from behind the counters.
• Monitoring of PRS centres and Tatkal counters through CCTVs to prevent touting activities
• Checks with regard to refund of PRS tickets and e-tickets especially refund after preparation of charts
• Checks o­n High Official Requisition Quotas released to check veracity of the requisitions with special checks to prevent mis-utilising of names of Hon’ble MPs by use of fake letterheads.
• Curbing the blocking of accommodation in unreserved coaches by towel spreaders/anti-social elements. Regulating the system of queuing opposite unreserved coaches o­n selected Mail/Express trains through the present of Commercial staff in addition to RPF/GRP.
• Wide Publicity of Special trains. Ensuring entries regarding Special Train Services and additional coaches in the Passenger Reservation System in time so that the waiting list is automatically updated. Wide publicity through Station Notice Boards, Public Address System, enquiry and PRS offices, etc. for information of the travelling public. Ensuring 100% Exceptional Data Report feeding at all levels to ensure maximum information dissemination to rail public.
• Analysis and Observation of hourly transaction statements of the Reservation Clerks for the morning shift. A special note recorded of unusually high transaction by any particular Reservation Clerk. Ministerial staff shall be deputed at all PRS locations for supervision of the queue. Close observation of the activities of touts through CCTV monitoring Rooms and RPF deployed for clearance of the area from these elements.
• All the coaches/special trains including coach attachments shall be adequately manned by TTEs so that in case any irregularity is detected, responsibility could be fixed. Instruction to different bases shall be issued in advance by Chief Commercial Manager’s office.

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AND CROWD MANAGEMENT MEASURES:

CCTVs under Integrated Security System have been installed o­n major stations and at reservation centres.

AUGMENTATION OF THE WORKFORCE:In order to meet the increased requirement of the staff, re-deployment of the available work force was done. Beside, Scouts and Civil Defence personnel were also deployed in passenger interface area to supplement the RPF/RPSF.

ACCESS CONTROL AND CHECKING OF LUGGAGE: All major stations have been equipped with DFMDs. Manual luggage checking is being carried out by RPF/GRP personnel.

SEAT CORNERING: Arrangements have been made to ensure that no space of coaches is encroached upon by anti social elements. For this purpose, rakes in locked condition are brought to platforms. Besides, teams have been formed to book the antisocial elements involved in seat-cornering.

Security arrangement at stations and parcel booking areas be enforced with:

Deployment of Dog squads

Metal Detectors at all entry gates

Hand held metal detectors

Manning of all the entry gates

Mega mikes

Manila ropes at FOB and platforms

• Special trains have been distributed at the 4 major terminals to avoid overcrowding.
• Platform for all the trains including specials are fixed during entire festival rush period. Change will be done o­nly with the approval of DRM.
• An action plan has been issued to all branches during rush as per follows :

1. i)    Formation of joint teams of security and commercial to conduct special drives against touting activities/unauthorized agents.
2. ii)    Special checks against carriage of inflammables in trains and at stations.

iii)   Special checks against Tour operators, JTBSs, RTSAs.

1. iv)   Special arrangements through proper deployment of ticket checking    staff at FOBs of stations for crowd control.

v)Frequent announcement to be made through Public Address system regarding crowd management at Platforms.

vi)Improved Traffic plan enforced and Traffic Marshalls deputed for smooth flow of vehicular traffic at New Delhi station.

vii)Special attention is being paid to ensure satisfactory condition of all passenger amenities & convenience like water, waiting halls etc.

viii)Sr. Officers have been nominated to remain available at major terminals during the peak rush of Diwali to Chhat.

ix)Publicity- Posters, banners, advertisement in newspapers, TV, Radio about special trains made.

x)All the rakes including those of special trains to be placed o­n platforms at least 30 minutes before scheduled departure.

xi)First Aid Boxes are available with the Guards in all the passenger carrying trains with Guards and at stations with the Station Master. At major railway stations augmented First Aid Boxes are available. Besides, lists of Railway Hospitals/Health Units, Govt Hospitals in vicinity, Private Medical Practitioners are available. Special Arrangements are also made during Festival Rush by setting up First Aid posts at Delhi Jn, New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Anand Vihar Terminal stations in Delhi.

xii)Special arrangements for cleanliness of the coaches of all the trains.

xiii)Train Enquiry system and announcement system to be regularly monitored during the festival rush period.

MEDICAL ARRANGEMENTS:

First Aid Boxes are available with the Guards in all the passenger carrying trains with Guards and at stations with the Station Master. At major railway stations augmented First Aid Boxes are available. Besides, lists of Railway Hospitals/Health Units, Govt. Hospitals in vicinity, Private Medical Practitioners are available. Special Arrangements are also made during Festival Rush by setting up First Aid posts at Delhi Jn, New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Anand Vihar Terminal stations in Delhi.