Northern Railway General Manager Shobhan Chaudhuri reviewed the arrangements for Holi festival.

New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): Northern Railway General Manager Shobhan Chaudhuri reviewed the arrangements for Holi festival in Delhi today. He said that in view of Holi festival, arrangements for about five lakh additional berths were made. Chaudhuri said that this year, 354 trips of 75 pairs of trains have been notified by the Railways, which is 179 more than last year. He said that out of these 354 trips, 243 trips are of trains going in the east direction while 111 trips are of trains going in other directions. The General Manager of Northern Railway directed all the officers to monitor the arrangements being made for the passengers and ensure that all the trains run on time.

To prevent crowding in the circulating area, “Passenger Holding Area” has been formed at Ajmeri Gate New Delhi (cover area 4500 sq. ft. approx.) and Anand Vihar Terminal (2500 sq. ft. approx.) railway stations. Departure waiting areas, covered tents, lighting, fans, water booths, portable toilet blocks, food stalls, P.A. to reduce crowding on platforms. There are facilities of system, booking counter etc.

The inquiry system and announcement system of trains are being monitored during the festival period and the status of all special trains is being updated by PRS. The system has been updated. Regular and frequent announcements regarding introduction of special trains, increase in trains etc. are being made for the information of the users. It is being ensured that all booking and inquiry counters are staffed during peak hours. Wherever necessary, additional counters for reservation will be opened for the convenience of passengers. Additional booking counters will be opened as per requirement.

Teams of Commercial/Vigilance Inspectors and RPF/Police personnel have been deployed at the reservation offices to keep a check on the activities of touts and anti-social elements. All efforts are being made to provide better and improved passenger amenities like cleanliness in stations and trains, adequate drinking water, illuminated signage and clean and proper waiting rooms etc. Additional ticket checking staff are monitoring the reserved coaches and checking the prescribed ID of passengers traveling in reserved coaches. Proper/thorough investigation of evidence is being done.

Apart from security personnel, adequate number of scouts and guides and civil defense volunteers will be available at railway stations. They will also manage the rush of passengers on platforms and footover bridges.

Special arrangements have been made for crowd management during the upcoming Holi rush. Constant coordination is being done with all concerned railway departments, GRP, Civil Police to prevent any untoward incidents and for smooth operation of trains. R.P.F. The intelligence units are in regular touch with the respective state and central intelligence agencies. The agency will collect reliable inputs on real-time basis. Important passenger trains are being escorted and surprise inspections are being conducted in these trains by senior officers to maintain the vigilance of the escort staff. Anti-sabotage investigation with sniffer dogs and joint investigation with GRP/Civil Police is being conducted. Special awareness campaigns regarding not throwing balloons/colours/stones/other items etc. on trains/passengers are being organized through social media handles.

Duty officers have been deployed at major stations of Delhi region like: New Delhi, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal and Hazrat Nizamuddin from 20.03.2024 to 25.03.2024. Doctors have been deputed at Anand Vihar Terminal. Ambulances have been deployed at New Delhi Railway Station (both Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj), Hazrat Nizamuddin, Old Delhi, Anand Vihar Terminal and Panipat Railway Stations from 21.03.2024 to 24.03.2024.

For the convenience of senior citizens, it is being ensured that adequate number of wheel chairs are available in working condition. For the convenience of railway passengers and for convenient clearance of extra rush of passengers during Holi, trains from Anand Vihar Terminal to Patna, Gaya, Lucknow, Kamakhya, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, New Delhi to Varanasi and Barauni, Bathinda-Varanasi, Apart from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-Varanasi/Lucknow, Hazrat Nizamuddin-Lucknow/Pune, Saharanpur-Ambala/Chandigarh, New Delhi-Gorakhpur Holi Special trains, MEMU Holi Special trains are being run.