GUWAHATI: Northeast Frontier Railway has launched a new helpline to facilitate and ease the supply chain backlog triggered by the COVID-19 lockdown.
The helpline (9878899068) for Swift and Efficient Transport of Utilities (SETU) will enable customers from the states under the jurisdiction of N.F. Railway to call and place their request for transporting essential and industrial items such as personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, medicine and other critical items.
“The number is manned by four trainee officers based at National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara. The team works as a part of SETU Initiative dedicated to NFR. This is a voluntary initiative of these officers to assist the movement of critical goods across the country amid lockdown,” a statement issued here on Sunday said.
“The requests received through the helpline number and Twitter handle will be forwarded to the concerned division of NFR. The respective 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,” the statement said.
It may be noted that the 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. The SETU Initiative is already gaining momentum across the country along with the existing 138 helpline number and it is highly pertinent to take it up to serve NFR also,” it added.
NFR has already nominated officials to supervise the functioning of SETU helpline and monitoring the movement of parcel trains alongside the existing railway helplines, 138 and 139, with regard to movement of parcel special / COVID special trains in their jurisdiction.
The officials will also provide assistance and disseminate relevant information including timing, expected freight, days of run, capacity and procedure for booking of parcel, etc to the railway customers.