Rly helpline in place, but not for all

The Indian Railways formally introduced its long-awaited Integrated Train Enquiry System

The Indian Railways formally introduced its long-awaited Integrated Train Enquiry System (ITES) with ‘139’ as the universal telephone number for eight states in the northern region today. But, it may still be a while before customers using networks other than MTNL or BSNL get any benefit from the facility.

The latest facility, inaugurated by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, amidst much hoopla at Rail Bhavan, currently offers four basic services to the users: PNR enquiry, current train running position, seat availability and fare enquiry. However, these facilities can only be accessed using MTNL or BSNL landline

phones as the consortium executing the project has still not been able to tie-up with private cellular service providers like Airtel, Hutch, Idea and Tata Indicom.

Sources say a tussle over the call-rates to be charged lies at the root of the problem between the consortium of Bharat BPO-BSNL and private cellular operators. While the consortium wants the call-rates to be fixed at Rs 2 for 180 seconds, private operators, it is learnt, want to charge a higher rate for offering premium services like SMS alerts, call back and fax facilities.

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“Under our agreement with the consortium, they have to ensure that all mobile operators are brought on board. Negotiations between the consortium and mobile operators are currently on. We think that none of the private operators would like to be left out,” said an official from Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the agency mandated to implement and manage the project.

From every Rs 2 earned through premium services, IRCTC would get a revenue share of 80 paise. However, the Rs 1.20 sum charged for a 180 second pulse on basic services would go to the consortium’s kitty. There’s a twist in the tale too. The Rs 1.20 call rate for basic services for a three-minute call would only apply to metro cities. If one is calling from a non-metro city, the call rate would be Rs 1.20 for a 60 second pulse.

With the zonal hub for North Region inaugurated today, basic enquiry services are now available for people living in Delhi, NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajashtan, Uttrakhand and Chandigarh. The service will be extended to the other three regions by September. Also, two new universal numbers, probably 137 and 138, would need to be set-up before Railways can offer premium enquiry services like SMS alert, call back and fax and value-added services like rail ticket reservation, hotel booking, tourism product booking and car rentals.

Hello, Lalu speaking

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav used the inaugural call to play to the cameras. “What is the timing, frequency and fare for various classes of the Patna Rajdhani,” he enquired. Asked to hold the line, Yadav quipped: “ Aise to telephone ka bill utth jayega.” Then, as the operator said the departure time was “17 baj kar 5 minute,” Lalu had another query ready, “17 bajey ka kya matlab hota hai?” As the operator explained that the timing was 5.05 pm and told the First Class fare was Rs 2,805, Lalu had a parting shot ready, “Usme bhojan toh milega naa?”