Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has launched a new helpline to facilitate and ease the supply chain backlog that has occurred due to Covid-19 lockdown.
The 24 x 7 Helpline number for SETU (SWIFT AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORT OF UTILITIES) is 9878899068.
This will enable NFR’s customers to call up and place their request for transporting the essential commodities and other industrial items such as PPEs, masks and medicines.
Launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the SETU app number is manned by 4 trainee officers are based at National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara.
The team is dedicated to NFR and is a voluntary initiative of these officers to assist the movement of critical goods across the country amidst lockdown.
How SETU works
The requests received through the helpline number and twitter handle will be forwarded to the concerned division of NFR.
The divisions will in turn check the feasibility of transporting the requested goods and commodities and will inform the SETU team within three hours.
If the transportation is feasible, the SETU team will facilitate the customers in the process. If it is not feasible, the same will be communicated to the customers after getting due confirmation from the division.
It is important to note that SETU team will not provide any assurance to the customer on its own. Calling this helpline and giving the requirements of tonnage to be moved will be subject to the feasibility of movement by rail from the nearest railhead.
Contact details
NFR has already nominated officials to supervise the functioning of SETU helpline and monitoring the movement of Parcel Trains.
They will also provide assistance & disseminate relevant information including timing, expected freight, days of run, capacity and procedure for booking of parcel etc. to the Railway customers. The numbers are:-
Katihar Division – Divisional Commercial Manager / Katihar – 9771441951(M)
Alipurduar Division – Divisional Commercial Manager / Alipurduar – 9002052951(M)
Rangiya Division – Divisional Commercial Manager / Rangiya –9957554951(M)
Guwahati &Lumding Division –Asst Commercial Manager / Guwahati – 9957553954(M), or Asst Commercial Manager / Lumding-9957553953(M)
Tinsukia Division -Asst Commercial Manager / Tinsukia Division –9957555952
HQ Area – Asst Commercial Manager /Claims/HQ – 9957550964(M)
NFR refunds
NFR refunded Rs 22.41 crore to passengers who cancelled their tickets during the first phase of lockdown from March 24 to April 14, 2020.
The total number of passengers who cancelled their journey tickets was 243939.
During the 2nd phase of lockdown which started on April 15, 2020 a total of 123716 passengers cancelled their journey tickets till April 17, 2020. They were refunded about Rs 11.4 crore.
In total a sum total of Rs 33.81 crore have been refunded to 367655 passengers by NFR since the lockdown started on March 24 until April 17.
Freight carried under lockdown
NFR carried over 408 freight rakes between March 23 and April 16, 2020.
Items carried includes, 172 rakes of FCI food grains, 7 rakes of other food grains, 19 rakes of sugar,
12 rakes of salt, 25 rakes of cement, 24 rakes of mixed food items, 6 rakes of edible oil, 46 rakes of coal for power plants, 32 rakes of fertilizer, 27 rakes of POL product, 7 rakes of iron/steel and 8 container rakes to name a few.
One wagon in a rake carries about 58-60 tons of goods.
Food grains were unloaded at places like Batnaha, New
Jalpaiguri, Maldah Court sidings under Katihar division and Udaipur in Lumding division.
Salt, food grains was unloaded at Barpeta Road and Changsari under Rangiya division,while wheat and food grains was unloaded at Silchar and Sugar at Jirania stations under Lumding division.
Potato was unloaded at New Tinsukia, Food grains at Jorhat and Tinsukia under Tinsukia division.