I wish to bring to your notice the total breakdown of services on the 2906 DN Howrah - Porbandar Express leaving Howrah on Saturday 19th July.
My wife and her mother (a senior citizen) were travelling from Howrah to Jamnagar by AC 2 Tier (Coach A1) on 19th July.
The following incidents and lapses highlight the pathetic state of affairs in the Indian Railways :
1. No drinking water was served after the train left Howrah at 22:55 hrs. They were rudely instructed to get the it at Kharagpur (sometime past midnight). Never mind if the passenger dies of thirst. Chalta Hai.
Please note that this "superfast train " boasts of a pantry car.
2. Bedrolls were dirty and sheets were stained. No towels were given to any one. Answer given by attendant: Not available.
3. No pantry service for long hours next day. Inspite of appeals and requests to the pantry staff, TTE and attendant, no service was provided. My wife and other co passengers insisted for a complaint book which the TTE refused to give (TTE refused to divulge his name - TTE was on duty from Nagpur to Bhusaval in this coach). The Pantry Manager Mr Shivprasad of M/s Kwality Caterers also refused to give the complaint book to my wife. The were totally callous to the passengers' needs and no dinner orders were taken till 9 PM. Meanwhile all the passengers in the AC coach visibly angered and put through this cruel harrasment confronted the TTE and when confronted by the crowd he quickly handed over some feedback forms to the passengers (no carbon paper he smartly added when asked for an acknowledgement). Finally many passengers lodged the complaints in writing but no one acknowledged them, including the TTE and Pantry Car manager.
3. The bearer overcharged the passengers for the beverages, lunch etc. First he refused to give a bill for the food bought from the pantry. Then he was forced to give the bills to the passengers when the payment was made and to our surprise he was overcharging. Thanks to the unity of the passengers, who were fighting for their rights, he had to refund the excess money rather shamefacedly.
4. The toilets were not clean and stinking through the journey. No water in taps after Nagpur.
All this in a train which was running 3 hours late.
We shall be submitting all the complaints and grievances of the passengers to the relevant higher authorities.
This goes to prove that no one is accountable in IR. Passengers are taken for a ride literally. If this is the case in upper class, then I wonder what is happening in the lower classes of travel. All the talk and hype by our honorable Railway minister is only a gimmick. The ground realities are different.
The passenger who has to travel 2500 kms and pays for the comforts and services gets a raw deal and denied of his rights. The railways do not seem to care for customer service, cleanliness, amenities. This is a shocking true story of what IR is really all about.
I request the Railway Authorities to take stringent action against the erring officers and staff incharge of this train. Hard Copies of the complaint shall be submitted with adequate proof to the Western Railway authorities.
The Indian Railways need to take this feedback very seriously since it is the lifeline of India and pride of the nation, and is sadly bringing shame and disgrace to its people, thanks to the culture and inhuman values prevailing in the staff.
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