English
New Delhi, Feb 15: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s resolve to ease the travelling experience of common people is one of the characteristic feature seen during his term. With less than 10 days remaining for the release of Railway Budget 2016-17, Prabhu has indicated that the focus will be on further enhancing the customer services which would turn commutation much more easier, convenient and comfortable.
Some of the steps taken by the Railway ministry include – assigning new coaches, pitching up cleanliness in railway coaches , taking food preference of commuters in consideration and creating convenience in online booking of ticket through IRCTC. (ALSO READ: Railway bud to focus on attracting more investments: Suresh Prabhu )
According to Prabhu, one of the core sectors where Railways made progress in the past year was the booking of tickets. The improvements introduced in the IRCTC website improved ticketing for travellers, including commuter who book tickets on daily and monthly basis.
The process of adding new coaches to trains and replacing the existing ones is being implemented in full effect, the minister said. “People used to complain about the train’s interiors. It has not undergone change for some time. The new coaches that have come are really far superior to the ones we have. You will feel like air travel while travelling in a train,” Prabhu said.
Another issue faced by Sleeper Class and AC-III tier commuters is the absence of cleanliness on boards. In order to address the issue, Prabhu launched the scheme of Railways which provides commuters the option of sending a toll-free message of the compartment which is unclean. Within minutes, housekeeping personnel arrive at the spot to address your complaint.
To uplift hygiene level, the bedsheets of the train will now be cleaned in mechanised laundries. The setups have been installed in several trains which allows the cleaning of bedsheeets in short duration as compared to the earlier tedious process of washing.
Food preference of commuters will also be considered, Prabhu added. Food will suit the commuters of the region. For example, if it is a Delhi-Kolkata route train, it should offer Rasgulla as desert.
Suresh Prabhu’s personal commitment towards the commuters was seen when the minister, known to be active on social media, reacted to a complaint he received on Twitter. On December 16 last year, one Gyaneshwar Mishra reached out to Prabhu on the micro-blogging site urging him for urgent help as his 18-month-old son was suffering under tremendous fever. Immediately on the next station, the railway doctor arrived along with medicine and milk for the child.
The Railway Budget is scheduled to be released on February 25. According to pundits, prices are likely not to be raised this year. Rationalisation of concessions and monetisation of Railway property are on the cards.
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