Next step for Swachh Bharat: Passengers can now send SMS to get train coach or toilet cleaned

The Railway ministry has launched an SMS service for passengers on a long-distance train in India so that they can ask for their coach or toilet to be cleaned. [caption id=“attachment_2133393” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Passengers can now send an SMS to get the train coach or toilet cleaned. AP[/caption] “You just have to type: Clean and SMS it to 58888 to summon the cleaning staff,” The Times of India quoted Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Narendra Patil as saying. Railways on Monday also launched a mobile phone app and an online portal with a view to providing customers with “an effective forum to lodge complaints”, according to PTI. “There should not be any complaints ideally, but if about 3 crore passengers will travel in more than 10,000 trains daily, some complaints might come up. So, there should be an effective forum to lodge complaints,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said after launching the portal and the App in New Delhi. He said that besides registering complaints, people can also use these forums to send suggestions for improving railway services. “Valuable suggestions on the newly-launched portal can be incorporated… if found suitable,” he said. Passengers can lodge their complaints and suggestions on the webpage www.indianrailways.gov.in. One can also download the mobile App from the URL www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in. for registering complaints and sending suggestions. Passengers can also SMS their complaints to the number: 9717630982. The complaint will be auto assigned to the railway official concerned for redressal. The complainant will receive a message on his mobile phone and via email about the action taken on the matter. As to a time-frame for the redressal of complaints, the Railway Minister said, “We will finalise the time-frame after a few days of stabilisation of the system.” (With inputs from PTI)