Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday launched the Wi-Fi service facility and opening of new booking counters at Secunderabad Railway Station to mark the commencement of celebration of “Passenger and Customer Facilitation Fortnight” by the Indian Railways.
Dattatreya launched the Wi-Fi facility and inaugurated the new booking counters in the presence of Information Technology Minister K T Rama Rao, MLAs C Dharma Reddy and A Jeevan Reddy. South Central Railway General Manager P.K.Srivastava other senior railway officials were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Bandaru Dattatreya spelt out the plans of the Union Government and said that all round development is its sole agenda. The launching of Wi-Fi facility at Secunderabad Railway Station is a step towards providing more convenience and comfort for Rail users at Secunderabad Railway Station, he stated. The newly opened Booking Counters will serve to ease the rush at the existing counters and enable in reducing the average time taken for a passenger to purchase a General Ticket, the Union Minister added. He assured SCR of all cooperation in completion of Rail Projects in the region.
KTR lauded SCR for introducing Wi-Fi facility at Secunderabad Railway Station, which is in tune with the image of Hyderabad as a top class International Level IT Hub. He also wanted Secunderabad Railway station to be developed to match the standards of an Airport.
The Secunderabad Railway Station is the first Wi-Fi enabled station on SCR. Users can access Wi-Fi on all the 10 Platforms including Concourse area through strategically commissioned 96 wireless access points. The Facility is accessible on users on smart phones/tablets/lap tops (with Wi-Fi feature) free of charge for 30 minutes.
Earlier, Srivastava, in his address, highlighted the plans drawn for the Celebration of the “Passenger and Customer Facilitation Fortnight” on SCR and said that each of the stations on the Zone will be covered during the Celebration period to understand the local requirements at Railway stations and take corrective action where ever needed. The initiative is meant to reach out to Passengers and Rail Users on a continuous basis and conveys the commitment of Railways in providing better services, the General Manager added. The launch of Wi-Fi facility at Secunderabad is yet another feather in the cap for the Zone, in its endeavor to provide best services to Rail users. The Wi-Fi services are planned to be extended to identified A1, A & B1 category stations on SCR in due course, he informed.
Later, Srivastava interacted with Rail Passengers in the Station Premises at different places including Platforms, Waiting Halls, Catering Stalls, Trains etc., and sought their opinion on the services being rendered by SCR on aspects such as Cleanliness, Catering, Security, Staff behavior, availability of water etc. The Passengers in general expressed their satisfaction on the services available on SCR and opined that Secunderabad station is one of the best maintained on Indian Railways.
Ashesh Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad Division presented the Vote of Thanks. (INN)