For the first time in WR: Private company awarded contract to operate enquiry centres

Indore, Jul 14 (PTI) The Western Railway's Ratlam division has outsourced the operation of enquiry centres at nine of its major stations to a private company, aiming to provide better passenger facilities and more effectively utilise human resources, an official said on Tuesday. According to the official, the Ratlam division has become the first one under the Western Railway (WR) to outsource operation of enquiry centres to a private entity. Ratlam division's public relations officer (PRO) Mukesh Kumar said enquiry centres located at nine stations -- Indore, Ratlam, Ujjain, Neemuch, Dewas, Dr Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow), Nagda (all in Madhya Pradesh), Dahod (Gujarat) and Chittorgarh (Rajasthan) -- will be operated round-the-clock by a Hyderabad-based construction company from July 20. He said the private company was selected for this contract through a tender process and the work order has been issued to it. Kumar said before the introduction of the new system, the company's employees were trained on the operation of Railway enquiry centres, passenger assistance, and related procedures. "Currently, a total of 37 Railway employees from ticket checking and reservation cadres are working at the enquiry centres at nine stations under the Ratlam division," stated the PRO. Kumar explained that due to a large number of vacancies, especially in the ticket-checking cadre, these employees were needed for train and ticket-checking-related work. Consequently, the divisional administration decided to hand over the operation of the enquiry centres to a private company. "With the implementation of the new system, employees from the ticket checking and ticket reservation cadres will be able to be deployed in their core responsibilities," the PRO insisted. Kumar said the new system has been implemented for one year and, based on the results, its continuation will be considered in the future. PTI HWP MAS RSY