Indian Railways to launch grievance redressal app MADAD
What's the story
The Indian Railways will launch a mobile application for grievance redressal this month. Passengers will be able to use the dedicated app, called MADAD (Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel), to lodge complaints related to their train journey or the Indian Railways. This can include a wide range of issues, from food quality, dirty toilets, and health problems to requesting emergency services.
Process
Complaints will be registered via the unique PNR number
Complaints can be registered by entering your unique PNR number on the app. Once a grievance has been lodged, you will receive a complaint ID via SMS, which will be followed by information regarding the action taken by the concerned department. The app will allow you to track the status of your complaint and be updated about its course of action.
Motive
The complaint will directly reach the concerned Railways division
The app aims at fast-tracking the entire process of passengers relaying their grievances and then getting them solved by directly sending the complaints to relevant officials. To encourage transparency and accountability, the app will display the total number of complaints received and resolved by the Indian Railways in a month. It will also rank the top and bottom five railway stations of each zone.
Streamlining
Railways wants to integrate all redressal mechanisms into one platform
"As of now, we have 14 channels through which passengers can register grievances. Each has its own response time and standards of response. We wanted to have one transparent, standardized grievance redressal process," a senior official said. "This does not mean that we will not respond to complaints on the other forums. But eventually, we want to use this one integrated system," he added.