Delhi is already battling a thick layer of smog and the dreaded fog season, which disrupts flight and train schedules, is fast approaching. At such a time, accurate information about the weather and travel schedules could mean saving a lot of time that is otherwise spent waiting at airport terminals or railway platforms.
While fog helplines, officials websites and SMS services have been the usual media for disseminating information, this winter, social media and mobile applications are expected to become a strong tool for airport and railway authorities in their fight against fog.
Things on the social media front have changed radically since last winter. While both the private airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) and the Northern Railway were present on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, both are now more interactive. Also, the smart phone wielding traveller finds it easier to access information on social media instead of calling up a helpline.
The official Twitter handle of DIAL gets anything between 50 to 100 responses each day, which includes queries and complaints. The airport operator has more than 17,000 followers on Twitter and over 2.5 lakh on Facebook.
Northern Railway manages social media thanks to its Public Relations department. “The feedback we receive on these platforms are forwarded to the department concerned,” said Neeraj Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway. The Twitter handle of the Northern Railway and that of the Delhi Divisional Railway Manager engages pro-actively with passenger, answering queries or trying to address issues.
He said that the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) application can also be installed on mobile phones for real time information.
