NF Railway gears up to handle rush of passengers during

The Northeast Frontier Railway said it has taken up various measures from Thursday for smooth handling of extra rush of passengers expected at Guwahati and Kamakhya stations during the four-day long Ambubachi Mela beginning Saturday.

Specific desks have been opened at Kamakhya station to provide information to pilgrims, and announcements are made in local languages frequently about trains to various directions along with facilities available for the passengers, NF Railway spokespersopn Pranav Jyoti Sharma said here.

NF Railway has deployed adequate security staff at platforms, foot over bridges, entry gates, level crossing gates and nearby railway tracks to streamline the rush of pilgrims for proper crowd monitoring, he said.

Railway para medical staff has been deployed alongwith basic medicines to provide assistance to the pilgrims. A doctor would be available in the station round the clock and packets of ORS have been stocked for distribution among people who suffer from dehydration.

Stoppage time of major trains at Kamakhya station has been increased by two to five minutes to provide adequate boarding/de-boarding time to pilgrims while attaching additional coaches in a few trains has also been planned.

Sharma said proper sanitation at stations will be maintained by deploying additional staff and unauthorised vendors will not be allowed.

Additional drinking water taps have been provided at station premises.

Volunteers from Railway Scouts and Guides will be deployed round-the-clock to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims during boarding and de-boarding of trains, he said adding that proper illumination of the entire station and surrounding areas are being made.

A 24-hour control room has been set up at the station, Sharma said.