Railway Board flags barrage of complaints over Shramik Special trains

Key sources said that the complaints poured in “incessantly” and it has been communicated to the zones as well as the Divisional Railway Managers that they were responsible for the train services.

As per internal assessment of the Railway Board, there have been repeated instances of migrants getting into scuffles over food packets kept in cartons, which are placed inside the coaches en route. The same is the case with water bottles.

Now, Railway Protection Force personnel in the trains have been asked to make sure that the distribution is done in an “orderly” fashion. The Railway Ministry has assigned the highest priority to these trains so that they are never delayed, the zones have been reminded, sources said.

It was been found that sanitation functionaries had not done their job in multiple cases, and zonal railways have now been asked to ensure cleanliness. There have also been instances of shortage in packaged food due to long journeys or delays.

“As and when complaints come, we address them on the spot. Trains are cleaned even en route. There is a lockdown in place, so sometimes there are challenges in terms of resources,” a senior zonal railway official said, requesting anonymity.