Pune: The 182 toll-free helpline number, which has been functional since January this year, dedicated to the safety and protection of passengers, has been receiving 80 calls every day. Of these, 20 calls seek emergency help.
D Vikas, Divisional Security Commissioner, Central Railway, Pune Division, said, “The control room of the division is now connected to the 182 helpline number. So, any passenger on any train can be directly connected to our division. We will provide assistance. Similarly, if a train moves to another division, the call will get connected to the control room there.”
However, nearly 75 per cent of the calls are for general inquiries such as PNR status, train timings or pantry services rather than security issues.
After so much publicity of the toll-free number regarding security in railways during the journey, people start calling about coach issues. According to a senior officer of RPF, most of them are for coach problems like non-availability of water and lights or non-functional fans.
According to officials who monitor control room, many passengers are unaware that the helpline is solely for security purpose. “Some people ask for their PNR status, while others ask the timings of trains. There have even been calls, where passengers asked about the menu in the pantry car of a particular train,” an official said.
“People have responded very well. We receive almost 80 calls daily on the helpline number. Even if most of the calls are not emergency, we should not discourage passengers from calling us. If they are attended to properly by our staff, they will call us on the same number when they need our assistance,” Vikas said.
About The helpline number
