Waltair DRM extends Sankranti greetings, urges safe rail travel

Lalit Bohra, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Waltair Division, East Coast Railway, extended Bhogi, Sankranti, and Kanuma greetings to people in the region and conveyed special wishes to farmers on the harvest festival.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the DRM urged passengers to adopt safe travel practices while travelling by train and at railway stations. He advised commuters to remain vigilant and report unattended baggage and suspicious persons to railway staff, and cautioned them against touts, chain snatchers, and pickpockets.

Mr. Bohra also warned passengers against footboard travel and appealed to them not to pull the alarm chain without valid reasons, stating that such acts could endanger lives and disrupt train operations.

Highlighting digital services, he encouraged rail users to make QR code-based payments and use the Rail ONE App for queueless ticketing and seamless transactions. He said digital facilities save time, help avoid long queues, and reduce inconvenience due to a lack of exact change.

To manage festival rush, Waltair Division is operating over 50 Sankranti special trains, including Jansadharan Special services, to destinations such as Vijayawada, Parvatipuram, Brahmapur, and Araku.

The division has also opened additional ticket counters, deployed ATVMs, and formed special task forces for crowd regulation. A dedicated war room has been set up in the control office for monitoring, while frequent public announcements and round-the-clock CCTV surveillance are being maintained to ensure passenger safety.