Ayodhya’s grand celebration: Indian Railways’ multilingual staff, social media support team to assist pilgrims

In one of its preparations, the Lucknow division of Northern Railway (NR) has decided to deploy staff proficient in multiple languages to assist pilgrims and tourists speaking different languages from various states.

LUCKNOW

DRM SM Sharma inspecting the preparedness ahead of January 22 (Sourced)

As Ayodhya prepares for the consecration ceremony on January 22, Indian Railways is ensuring that officials are ready to accommodate the influx of devotees expected for the grand event. In one of its preparations, the Lucknow division of Northern Railway (NR) has decided to deploy staff proficient in multiple languages to assist pilgrims and tourists speaking different languages from various states.

“Additional staff well-versed in multiple languages will be deployed at Ayodhya Dham Junction and Ayodhya Cantt railway station to facilitate pilgrims and tourists arriving from different states before the January 22 consecration,” said SM Sharma, the newly appointed divisional railway manager (DRM), Northern Railways, during a press meet organized at NR DRM office at Hazratganj in Lucknow.

According to the railways, trained staff from the Lucknow division will be stationed at the ‘May I help you’ desk, enabling communication in languages such as Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, among others. “We’ll be in touch with those communicators as well,” added the DRM, mentioning the utilisation of the Bhashini App for improved coordination.

“The initiative is taken by the ministry of railway itself,” said Sharma, also noting that 2-3 language signboards have been installed for assistance. “We have been informed about a daily footfall of 20-25 thousand, hence we’re gearing up for it.”

Alongside the hundreds of railway personnel on the ground, a dedicated team of digital railway staff will be on alert to address people’s problems online.

“We will provide regular updates on our X (formerly Twitter) handle. We will engage more on social media and post every small detail on it,” stated the DRM. “If a passenger encounters any problem, they may contact us on X. Our team will reach out to them as soon as possible to resolve their issues.”

Monkey menace to be tackled

To address the monkey menace at Ayodhya stations, railway officials plan to install several cutouts of langoors, similar to those in metro stations and various government buildings in Lucknow. “We’re considering the plan and will implement it soon,” said Reka Sharma, senior divisional commercial manager, NR, Lucknow division, adding that monkey handlers will also be present.

“Besides, a dedicated medical team will be at the ‘May I help you’ desk in case of any further issues,” she concluded.