OREANDA-NEWS.   The Minister of Railways, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said that Indian Railways will take all possible steps to further improve Railway Claim System so as to make it more passenger-friendly. Speaking at the Consultative Committee meeting of Members of Parliament for Ministry of Railways which held at Bangalore today i.e. 29.11.2013, Shri Kharge said that vision of Indian Railways is to make its operation seamless and free of accidents. However, when some accidents occur, at such time, it is the endeavour of Indian Railways that victims or their dependents are given quick medical and monetary relief. For stranded victims, the Traffic Commercial Staff play a crucial role at the accident site by dispensing ex-gratia to victim/dependents for their immediate needs, he said.

The Railway Minister further said that in the case of loss/damage of goods/parcels, obtaining compensation from Railways has become less problematic with the online registration of claims. He said that Indian Railways has set up 21 Benches if Railway Claim Tribunal at 19 major cities and now the process of filing and settlement of claims have become more customer and user friendly.

This is the first meeting of the Consultative Committee constituted under the 15th Lok Sabha outside Delhi. The meeting was also attended by Minister of State for Railway Shri Adhir Ranjan Choudhary and 16 Members of Parliament representing Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal & Assam, Railway Board members and other senior officers. This meeting has been held outside Delhi after four and half years, the last being in Udaipur in 2009. This meeting is the third meeting during the current year and second meeting under the chairmanship of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge. The main focus of the consultative Committee meeting was “Railway Claims System” and Members of the Committee gave valuable suggestions for further improvement in Railway Claims System.

Members of Parliament also gave their valuable suggestions for improvement in many other areas of Railway functioning, like train operations and passenger amenities etc. The members also placed demands concerning their constituencies. Hon’ble Minister of Railway assured the members that their suggestions and demands shall be looked into and directed Senior Railway officers for early implementation wherever feasible. The meeting was concluded in an amicable atmosphere and Hon’ble Minister of Railways thanked all members for their active participation and valuable suggestions.