The East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Tuesday launched its coveted Railway Passengers and Customers’ Fortnight by organising cleanliness, sanitation and anti-mosquito drives at stations and drains at different places under its jurisdiction. Apart from this, an artist’s camp under the “Swachh Bharat” was conducted at the Khordha Road to create awareness among passengers. All the three divisions of the ECoR, Khordha Road, Sambalpur and Waltair and Headquarters office at Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar participated in the cleanliness drives at different places.
Safety awareness drives at all level crossing gates in Titilagarh-Rayagada Railway Section and also at Ichhapuram Station were conducted to sensitize road users to increase level of safety at unmanned level crossings. The Visakhapatnam Division is organising theme-based seminars involving local intelligentsia and NGOs.
The security wing of the ECoR Protection Force in coordination with the Government Railway Police conducted massive awareness drives to educate the public on their safety while on travel and on gangs that befriend and drug co-passengers before robbing them of their belongings. To mark the fortnight, the ECoR has proposed to launch Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVM) counters at Delang, Kanas Road, Balugaon, Chatrapur, Sompeta, Ichhapuram, Barang, Mancheswar, Visakhapatnam, Bobbili, Simhachalam and Rayagada Stations and also open a Reservation Counter at the Sambalpur City station.
For non-gazetted Railway staffs, health check-up programmes and yoga camps are being organised. Similarly, a skill development programme for local youths would be imparted by the Mancheswar-based Carriage Repair Workshop. It has been targeted to train at least 500 local unemployed youths in various trades.