Railway Protection Force personnel floored by mundane queries

Of 50,000 calls received by helpline last year, security-related ones were 83

Nearly a month ago, personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) on night shift at the divisional security control room here received a message over phone in the railway security helpline number informing them of a passenger who fell down from Chennai-bound Ananthapuri Express beyond Ariyalur.

Acting swiftly on the call made by a rail traveller on board the train, the Railway Protection Force personnel alerted the railway control room at Tiruchi divisional office and the train was stopped midway for a few minutes to take the injured passenger.

In another recent instance, the Security Helpline received a call informing the personnel about the occupation of seats by others in a coach meant for the physically challenged and seeking assistance.

The Security Helpline 182 created for rail travellers seeking security-related assistance from the force has been receiving a spate of calls from public on a daily basis.

However, the non-security related calls accounts for the maximum notwithstanding periodic campaigns by the RPF personnel regarding the facility and the nature of complaints that could be conveyed in the dedicated number.

In the last one year (January 2019 to January 2020), the Security Helpline in Tiruchi Division received a little over 50,000 calls from public. However, security-related calls to the helpline number were merely 83 during this period.

RPF personnel here say the security helpline created in Tiruchi Division had received non-security calls seeking gas connection, cinema tickets and even petty issues from callers.

The helpline number was created for the benefit of the travellers to keep the RPF personnel informed about security-related issues such as theft of passenger belongings, nuisance in compartments in moving trains, occupation of seats by normal passengers in coaches meant for the physically challenged, suspicious looking objects on board trains and on platform and those seeking medical assistance for ailing passengers, say RPF officials.

Three dedicated telephone lines have been set apart for the security helpline at the RPF divisional security control room here which is equipped with an automatic calling device. RPF personnel are deployed round-the-clock at the security control room to receive calls from passengers for prompt action.

The call attended by the field-level RPF personnel manning the security control room is conveyed to their respective jurisdictional officers for initiating appropriate action and to lend necessary assistance.

Complete details are obtained from the passenger making the call including the train name, coach number, place where the train was moving currently among others to render speedy assistance. Some times the information is passed on to the escort teams deployed on board trains.

The information is conveyed back to the passenger who had made the call. Every call is recorded automatically and the number noted down for initiating necessary action.

The number of calls received and the action taken is conveyed to the RPF higher ups time-to-time.

Calls made within the limits of Tiruchi Railway Division to the security helpline lands at the RPF divisional security control room at Tiruchi, says the officials.

Awareness campaign

Field-level RPF personnel of Tiruchi Division have been carrying out awareness campaigns through various modes such as posting security helpline number sticker on board trains and stations, distribution of pamphlets to passengers and through the public address system at railway stations, say officials.

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