Mumbai: Indian Railways has launched ‘Meri Saheli’, an initiative by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) aimed to instil a sense of security among female passengers and respond promptly to security-related issues faced by them while travelling by trains.
A team, comprising of a lady officer and other railway staff, will visit all passenger coaches of a train and note down all female passengers’ journey details like coach number and seat number, especially if she is travelling alone. They will also be briefed about RPF Security Helpline Number 182, GRP Security Helpline Number 1512 as well as other precautions, like not sharing food with strangers, buying food only from authorized IRCTC stalls, taking care of luggage, etc.
According to a press release issued by Western Railway, the team will pass on passenger details to railway divisions and zones en route so that the authorities can meet passengers from time to time till they reach their final destination.
Feedback from passengers will also be collected at the end of their journey regarding their experience and safety measures taken.
The initiative was kicked off in two trains — 02925 Bandra Terminus-Amritsar Special and 12955 Mumbai Central-Jaipur Superfast Express.