CHENNAI: The Chennai Division of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) on Monday launched a temporary helpline for passengers in an attempt to curb crimes during the summer rush.
Addressing a press conference, S R Gandhi, RPF’s Senior Divisional Security Personnel, said that as the number of people accessing train services shoot up during the summer vacation, anti-social elements wait for chances to take advantage of the situation. In the past, passengers had difficulties contacting security personnel during an emergency and the new helpline would help fill that void, he said.
Gandhi said the integrated helpline, christened ‘Kaakum Karangal’, would be operated from the existing control rooms by the forces. Whenever a passenger, whether on a long distance service or suburban train, senses any trouble, he or she could contact the helpline numbers and security personnel would be sent to the spot soon to attend to the issue. “For the Central and Egmore stations alone, we have formed a 50-member team to attend to the complaints,” he said, adding that if there is a good response, a call would be taken on whether it could be extended as a permanent service beyond the vacation season.
Deputy Superintendent of Railway Police, V Ponram, said even if the passenger was outside the Chennai division, their complaints would be attended to by forwarding it to the concerned areas when they the call the GRP’s helpline.