Jamshedpur: The Chakradharpur railway division has decided to outsource the enquiry counters of some of the important stations in phase-wise manner.

Chakradharpur railway division spokesperson Bhaskar on Wednesday said it would be a first-of-its-kind initiative in the entire South Eastern Railway (SER) zone, which comprises three divisions - Chakradharpur, Ranchi and Kharagpur.

"We have initiated the process of outsourcing the enquiry counters. In the first phase enquiry counters at Tatanagar and Chakradharpur stations will be outsourced while stations like Rourkela and Jharsuguda will be covered in the second phase," said Bhaskar, adding the process of appointing a suitable agency for the purpose would be completed within a month or so.

The outsourced enquiry counter will have multiple responsibilities like announcing arrival and departure timings of trains, informing passengers on trains running behind schedule and keeping them updated about latest position of trains, warning passengers on not accepting any sweets/food/fruitea from unknown co-passengers and helping distressed relatives by providing them helpline numbers.

"Currently the enquiry counters are plagued with numerous issues like the counter-in-charge not taking calls at night, the telephone at the counter not working and staff members behaving rudely. Once the counters are outsourced we will be able to handle such issues," added Bhaskar.

Currently there are two train ticket examiners (TTEs) deployed in three eight-hour shifts at the enquiry counters in the stations.

"Instead of being involved in revenue generation work, the ticket examiners are currently engaged in non-revenue work. With the appointment of a professional agency TTEs will no longer be required to work in enquiry counters," explained a senior official of railway commercial wing.

Welcoming the initiative of Chakradharpur railway division, a senior functionary of Chhotanagpur Passenger Association Arun Tiwari said, "The train ticket examiners are meant for checking tickets and they should not be engaged in any other non-revenue activity. The Chakradharpur division has taken a right decision for outsourcing the railway enquiry system to a professional agency. Passengers will ultimately be benefited."