The Hindu Business Line : Rlys forms panels on disaster management, general rules

AS part of its efforts to improve services, the Railways has set up two committees, one on disaster management and the other to review the `General Rules' governing the organisation's interface with users.

The Disaster Management Review Committee will be chaired by the former Railway Board Chairman, Mr I.I.M.S. Rana. It will fine-tune the suggestions of a similar panel headed by the former Member (Mechanical), Mr S. Dhasarathy, and review the implementation of the suggestions made by the group.

Mr Dhasarathy's team had made as many as 247 suggestions, which were accepted by the Railway Board. These include steps like seeking the co-operation of the armed forces for disaster relief and preparing a databank of all nursing homes and hospitals along railway tracks to ensure prompt medical aid in the event of an accident.

"We want to minimise the time taken for disaster response and ensure relief and rescue measures are launched without delay. In addition, the Railways want to ensure all possible help to not just the passengers of an ill-fated train, but also to their families as part of its efforts to be seen as a caring organisation," a senior Railway Board official said.

The other committee, to be chaired by the former Member (Traffic), Mr M.P. Srivastava, will suggest ways to simplify procedures and make the Railways more responsive to the needs of its users. It will review the Railways' rulebook and identify areas that need correction in keeping with the market orientation of the organisation.

"The committee will identify cumbersome procedures and rules and suggest ways to improve the interface with both passenger and freight service users," the official said.

Each of the committees will have four members apart from the chairmen and have a 6-9 month tenure, he said.