KHOJ: A Lost & Found and Safety Assistance System for Railway Passengers

Abstract

Millions of people use trains every day as the main mode of public transit. Passengers must deal with issues including misplaced possessions, delayed medical assistance, and worries about the safety of women. In the absence of a systematic, real-time support system, these problems are resolved inefficiently and slowly. KHOJ is a web-based platform that integrates real-time medical help, a travel companion matching system for women\'s safety, and Lost & Found reporting to solve these issues. To guarantee organised complaint monitoring and resolution, the platform uses a user-friendly interface developed using Streamlit for frontend development and MySQL for backend data administration. KHOJ\'s role-based authentication system is a crucial component that distinguishes between volunteers, users, and railway employees, guaranteeing safe and effective complaint resolution. By matching passengers with available volunteers based on location and experience, the automatic volunteer assignment tool expedites the resolution of issues. Additionally, KHOJ offers real-time complaint monitoring, allowing consumers to keep an eye on the progress of their problems via an easy-to-use dashboard. This study examines the effects of KHOJ on improved passenger trust, community-driven involvement, and response time reduction. Railway travel is now safer and more convenient because to the system\'s notable improvements in handling lost item instances, medical crises, and security issues. AI-powered lost item recognition, GPS-based volunteer tracking, and direct communication with railway authorities for quicker reaction times are examples of future improvements.

Introduction

KHOJ is a web-based, real-time platform developed to modernize the management of lost and found items, medical emergencies, and women's safety in railway systems. The current manual procedures in place are outdated, unreliable, and slow to respond, leading to passenger dissatisfaction—particularly among vulnerable groups like women traveling alone.

Key Features of KHOJ

• Real-Time Complaint Management: Users can submit complaints related to lost items, medical needs, or safety concerns via a streamlined interface.

• Automated Volunteer Assignment: Based on complaint type and location, the system assigns the nearest available volunteer.

• Live Tracking & Notifications: Passengers and officials receive real-time updates on complaint progress through dashboards, SMS, or email.

• Secure Role-Based Access: Admins, passengers, and volunteers have role-specific access. Data is encrypted and session-protected.

System Architecture

1. Frontend (User Interface):

   • Built with Streamlit (Python framework).

   • Includes dashboards for passengers and volunteers.

   • Allows for complaint submission, status tracking, and volunteer management.

2. Backend:

   • Built using Flask APIs.

   • Implements bcrypt encryption for secure logins.

   • Handles real-time updates and instant alerts.

3. Database (MySQL):

   • Stores user roles, complaint data, timestamps, and volunteer assignments.

   • Ensures data integrity with foreign keys and audit trails.

Methodology & Workflow

1. Complaint Submission:

   • Users choose one of three categories: Lost & Found, Medical Emergency, or Women’s Safety.

   • Each complaint captures essential details like train info or current location.

2. Automated Volunteer Support:

   • Volunteers are matched based on proximity and complaint type.

   • They receive notifications and update complaint status in real-time.

3. Escalation & Monitoring:

   • Unresolved complaints are escalated to railway officials.

   • Real-time dashboards allow users and staff to track progress from Assigned → In Progress → Resolved.

4. Data Security & Transparency:

   • Timestamping ensures transparency.

   • Role-based control restricts unauthorized access or changes.

Proposed Enhancements

Future updates may include:

• AI-powered lost item detection

• GPS tracking of volunteers

• Deeper integration with official railway systems for faster escalations

Conclusion

KHOJ has transformed railway assistance by making lost item recovery, emergency response, and women’s safety more accessible, efficient, and transparent. The system’s real-time tracking and automated volunteer assignment have significantly reduced response times, boosting passenger confidence in railway support services. While KHOJ has already made a substantial impact, there is room for improvement. Future enhancements may include: 1) AI-powered lost item detection to automate identification and retrieval of misplaced belongings. 2) GPS-based volunteer tracking for better resource allocation and response efficiency. 3) Seamless integration with railway authorities to further speed up case resolutions. By incorporating these improvements, KHOJ aims to further revolutionize railway assistance, making train travel safer and more convenient for millions of passengers

References

[1] Indian Railways, \"Passenger Safety Guidelines.\" [Online]. Available: https://indianrailways.gov.in/. [Accessed: 25-Dec-2024]. [2] Railway Protection Force, \"Official Website.\" [Online]. Available: https://rpf.indianrailways.gov.in/. [Accessed: 10-Jan-2025]. [3] Streamlit, \"Streamlit Documentation.\" [Online]. Available: https://docs.streamlit.io/. [Accessed: 15-Jan-2025]. [4] Oracle Corporation, \"MySQL Documentation.\" [Online]. Available: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/. [Accessed: 01-Feb-2025]. [5] Python Cryptographic Authority, \"bcrypt 4.3.0.\" [Online]. Available: https://pypi.org/project/bcrypt/. [Accessed: 15-Jan-2025].

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Durvesh Sanjay Futak, Priyansi Wankhede. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.