VISAKHAPATNAM: By using Twitter, passengers of the city post 20 to 25 complaints on the social media site daily and the Waltair division takes a few hours flat to solve them. The division’s staff does not waver from solving the issues, despite scorching heat. The passengers complain on the Twitter ID drmwat_ecor, which has about 11,000 followers, about the issues they face, while travelling by trains and at railway stations. The ID, which was not so active in the past, has been strengthened now.
Three members have been deployed to exclusively monitor the Twitter account round-the-clock. When someone tweets a complaint, the information is immediately communicated to the departments concerned and the teams ago out on the field to solve the problem. “On an average, 20 to 25 complaints are posted everyday. The complaints relate to various issues, including non-functioning of air-conditioners in the trains, water supply, security aspects and requirement of medical assistance. Action is taken within a few minutes and they are solved. There are teams, who work in shifts 24/7,” G Suneel Kumar, the senior DCM, said.
On a daily basis, there are many passengers, who seek medical assistance, and the teams inform the people at the immediate next station to handle the same. With the ongoing summer vacation, there are many passengers, who are seen complaining about air-conditioning issues, fans, food, water scarcity and cleanliness in the trains.
In the past year, the Waltair division has ranked in the top three for the most active Twitter handling account in the Union Ministry of Railways compared to other railway divisions. According to officials, the division had handled about 6,000 complaints in a year. Working round-the-clock, the division has plans to set up a special cell only to look into complaints of the passengers.