National carrier’s dedication to reuniting passengers with lost items

| | New Delhi
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National carrier’s dedication to reuniting passengers with lost items

Monday, 23 October 2023 | Deepak Kumar Jha | New Delhi

The railway officials, porters, coach attendants, pantry service staff, and various others have ostensibly earned the sobriquet of “imandar rail staffers” (honest rail staffers) due to their unwavering dedication in returning over 900 lost items, which even include valuable iPhones, to the rightful passengers.

So far, they have successfully achieved their challenging mission by employing various methods, unwaveringly reaching out to the bonafide owners through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.

Last week, a smile beamed across the face of a high-ranking Delhi Government official who was reunited with his “priceless” wristwatch, which he had lost on the Patna-New Delhi Rajdhani train.

“Considering the prevailing belief that items lost in public places, especially on trains, are rarely recovered, I find it difficult to adequately express the joy I experienced when, one day, I learned about New Delhi Station Manager Rakesh Kumar Sharma.

“He has successfully returned lost possessions to countless passengers through social media. Upon contacting him, the railway team led by Sharma coordinated the retrieval of my watch to New Delhi Railway Station. Subsequently, diligent efforts were made to ensure that the watch was once again on my wrist,” North East Delhi Seelampur SDM Sharat Kumar told The Pioneer.

In this case, Sharma who uses his own resources and finances to reach out to the owners even in foreign countries, contacted Patna Linen Staff and enquired about the lost article and came to know that the watch was in the custody of catering staff of Patna Rajdhani.

“The watch is priceless to me as it was a gift from my mother, and I never start my day without this ‘Maa Ka Pyar’. Thanks to the changing image of Indian Railways and individuals like Sharma in the service, it serves as a perfect example for all of us, including those, like me, who work in positions dealing with the public. Small things can truly bring about change,” Sharat said.

Early this month a passenger, Shefali Arora  of Geeta Colony in New Delhi, found a gold ring near her seat and handed it over to the RPF escorting team of the train to Mata Vaishno Devi Katra stations.

Sharma used the PNR as a reference to obtain the phone number of the passenger. Ultimately, he contacted a resident of Ambala city, who had booked the ticket for his mother, to facilitate the proper documentation and handover of the jewel.

Last month, a porter (coolie) Rinku Yogi found an Apple Smart Watch on the Lucknow AC Express.

In line with his role of honesty, he promptly handed it over to the Station Manager on duty at New Delhi station, who then informed Sharma.

Sharma had gained popularity among the staff for his efforts in tracking down passengers and owners of lost items.

This case was challenging because the porter couldn’t precisely identify the coach and berth number of the watch, as it was found near the vestibule between two coaches, A4 and A5.

Sharma used his ingenuity and shared a message on social media platforms, making an effort to broaden its reach.

After no positive response from social media, Sharma then used the PNR number of the passengers of both coaches with the help of IRCTC officials and contacted passengers individually to find out the owner. After six days of persistent phone calls squeezed between his work, sleep, and meals, Sharma finally managed to reach the owner.

The passenger, Shubam Saini from Lucknow, was pleasantly surprised, having lost all hope of recovering his watch.

Sharma has earned a name for himself by successfully tracking down approximately 925 individuals, including foreigners, on social media, primarily on Facebook.

He has diligently returned their belongings that passengers had either misplaced or inadvertently left behind, either inside the train or on the platform premises. Adopting an innovative approach to locate passengers and return their valuables, Sharma initially attempts to obtain information about the passengers using their PNR details.

However, most of the time, the phone numbers listed in the passengers’ details are either switched off or out of service, making it challenging to trace the passenger.

Undeterred by the non-availability of the passengers, Sharma then starts searching passengers on social media networks by their names and locations based on PNR details. He has succeeded on most of the occasions in reaching out to them and informing about their belongings.

“Most of the lost goods include laptops, bags, mobile phones and other personal belongings and in many cases gold ornaments. Luggage and other valuables including ornaments do form a large part of the goods that commuters leave behind mistakenly,” he said.

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