With instances of molestation increasing on trains, the Indian Railways has decided to launch an all-India security helpline number for passengers soon.
The railways has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, which enquired into the security of women passengers in suburban trains, that the process of launching the four-digit number 1322 at a cost of Rs. 4.7 crore is on.
Although it will be managed by a professional call centre, complaints will be monitored by a DIG and four inspectors. They will be transmitted to the zones concerned for action.
The report noted an increase in the incidents of molestation of women on suburban trains. The committee chairman, T.R. Baalu, said during the members’ visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal, Mumbai, women complained of unauthorised entry of male passengers in reserved compartments, molestation and harassment, and snatching of chains and handbags. The Railways claimed that 6,400 men had been prosecuted for entering ladies’ compartments.
