Travelling by train? Sorry, no room!
Such is summer vacation rush that tickets are fully booked on almost all routes; tatkal quota gets exhausted within minutes of booking being opened, giving rise to suspicion that agents are still at it
Yogesh Avasthi
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Tuesday, May 14, 2013 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2013051420130514022923965a6cac26e/Travelling-by-train-Sorry-no-room.html
Computerisation of railway reservation, installation of CCTV cameras to fend off touts, putting token dispensing machine to ensure equal distribution of ticket-seekers, deploying police force to ensure proper queue.... Yet tickets remain as hard to get as sighting a dodo. Be it regular reservation ticket or the tatkal variety, the problem is acute. Summer vacation has only compounded the woes of the average passengers who plan to travel by train.
The railway’s 120- day window (now reduced to 60 days) to prompt people to schedule their travel well in time comes unstuck. Some passengers also suspect touts and agents are still at it and cornering tickets no sooner than the windows open. The passenger reservation system (PRS) windows open at 8 am but tatkal tickets are issued only from 10 am. This step was taken after nationwide complaint that agents booked all tatkal tickets within minutes of the system coming alive in the morning. Technically, ‘tatkal’ is open until tickets are available.
Mirror correspondent kept a watch at the PRS at Kalupur, and found that quotas got exhausted before one could say a morning prayer. The conditions are pathetic on all routes, except Ahmedabad-Mumbai on which the railways has introduced several trains, taking care of almost the entire demand. Besides, the route is also well served by road transport and air.
‘FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED’
The Indian Railways on its part has taken several steps to ensure fair play, says Ahmedabad Divisional Railway Manager Alok Kumar. “We have put in place system to ensure first-comefirst- served. There are biometric machines to stop touts and CCTV cameras to check unethical practices. We also run holiday special trains to clear the rush. RPF, including women constables, monitor the queues round the clock.
We have also created exclusive windows for women and senior citizens to minimise discomfort to them.” Kumar also pointed out how the railway was trying to clear the vacation rush. “We have run about 550 extra coaches in the last two months. For the first time, Rajdhani Express is running with 21 coaches to clear the rush towards Delhi. We are planning even more trains,” he adds. “Agreed, railway has taken steps. They (cameras, biometric token dispensing machine) are visible, too. But conditions haven’t improved.
It is obvious that agents are still ruling the roost. Railways needs to do much more,” says Saroj Kumar who had come to book tickets to Delhi. Ticket-seekers’ agony begins the moment they arrive at the reservation centre. They have to first obtain a token from a biometric machine. The display board next to the machine guides them to a certain ticket counter. If they miss spotting their number, they miss the counter as the board displays the number for a few seconds. However, it cannot be denied that token dispensing ensures even distribution of ticket-seekers so that each window has approximately the same number of people and everyone has equal chance of get the ticket. However, there is only one counter each for women and senior citizens.
IN QUEUE FOR 20 HOURS
Rahul Bharadwaj, an Amraiwadi resident, recounts his woes. “My wife is pregnant, but we are in the queue since yesterday (Sunday evening). We have to go to Varanasi but all trains are full.” Manoj Kanwar had come to the PRS on Sunday morning for the ticket to Faizabad.
As he did not get the ticket, he decided to stay back. “I think I should get the ticket as I am the first in the queue today,” he said. On Friday Vastral resident Suman Jaiswal said, “My family tried for reservation for five days, but did not get tatkal tickets. Finally my father and I came here at 2.30 pm yesterday (Thursday). Today we got the tickets, but only after I stood in front of the window meant for women for 20 hours.” Suman’s family was able to leave for Lucknow on Saturday. She was second in the queue, but the number on her token was four. “I don’t know who were the other two. I even asked the officials present here, but they had no clue,” she said, giving rise to the suspicion that touts and agents were still at it.
SEVENTH DAY LUCKY
Kakoli Sarkar was ahead of Suman in the same queue. She, too got her ticket after 20 hours. She had come to the city to see her uncle who was admitted to Civil Hospital and wanted to go back to Kolkata. “I had been trying for the last six days. I was praying to the God and my wish was a ticket! My wish has been granted,” she added, heaving a sigh of relief. Ayodhya Yadav, an Amraiwadi resident, was not so lucky.
“Three of us from my family are trying for the last four days. My time and leaves are getting wasted, yet I haven’t got any ticket,” he said. Yadav was yet to obtain the tickets to Lucknow until Friday evening. Like Yadav, Anil Mehta and his wife had arrived at the PRS at 4 am. She was seventh in the queue for women, but the tatkal ticket to Asansol, their destination, got exhausted before her it was her turn.
She did not get general reservation ticket as the counter showed “no room”. Mehta works for a road construction company in Ahmedabad and has been transferred to Udaipur. His wife had to go to Asansol. There are many who are stuck in the city. A case in point is U Rajeev from Vijaywada. “For the past two days I have been coming to the station early in the morning thinking that I will get my turn. But I have just not been able to reach the booking window.” Rajeev had come to Ahmedabad on a vacation.
The railway’s 120- day window (now reduced to 60 days) to prompt people to schedule their travel well in time comes unstuck. Some passengers also suspect touts and agents are still at it and cornering tickets no sooner than the windows open. The passenger reservation system (PRS) windows open at 8 am but tatkal tickets are issued only from 10 am. This step was taken after nationwide complaint that agents booked all tatkal tickets within minutes of the system coming alive in the morning. Technically, ‘tatkal’ is open until tickets are available.
Mirror correspondent kept a watch at the PRS at Kalupur, and found that quotas got exhausted before one could say a morning prayer. The conditions are pathetic on all routes, except Ahmedabad-Mumbai on which the railways has introduced several trains, taking care of almost the entire demand. Besides, the route is also well served by road transport and air.
‘FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED’
The Indian Railways on its part has taken several steps to ensure fair play, says Ahmedabad Divisional Railway Manager Alok Kumar. “We have put in place system to ensure first-comefirst- served. There are biometric machines to stop touts and CCTV cameras to check unethical practices. We also run holiday special trains to clear the rush. RPF, including women constables, monitor the queues round the clock.
We have also created exclusive windows for women and senior citizens to minimise discomfort to them.” Kumar also pointed out how the railway was trying to clear the vacation rush. “We have run about 550 extra coaches in the last two months. For the first time, Rajdhani Express is running with 21 coaches to clear the rush towards Delhi. We are planning even more trains,” he adds. “Agreed, railway has taken steps. They (cameras, biometric token dispensing machine) are visible, too. But conditions haven’t improved.
It is obvious that agents are still ruling the roost. Railways needs to do much more,” says Saroj Kumar who had come to book tickets to Delhi. Ticket-seekers’ agony begins the moment they arrive at the reservation centre. They have to first obtain a token from a biometric machine. The display board next to the machine guides them to a certain ticket counter. If they miss spotting their number, they miss the counter as the board displays the number for a few seconds. However, it cannot be denied that token dispensing ensures even distribution of ticket-seekers so that each window has approximately the same number of people and everyone has equal chance of get the ticket. However, there is only one counter each for women and senior citizens.
IN QUEUE FOR 20 HOURS
Rahul Bharadwaj, an Amraiwadi resident, recounts his woes. “My wife is pregnant, but we are in the queue since yesterday (Sunday evening). We have to go to Varanasi but all trains are full.” Manoj Kanwar had come to the PRS on Sunday morning for the ticket to Faizabad.
As he did not get the ticket, he decided to stay back. “I think I should get the ticket as I am the first in the queue today,” he said. On Friday Vastral resident Suman Jaiswal said, “My family tried for reservation for five days, but did not get tatkal tickets. Finally my father and I came here at 2.30 pm yesterday (Thursday). Today we got the tickets, but only after I stood in front of the window meant for women for 20 hours.” Suman’s family was able to leave for Lucknow on Saturday. She was second in the queue, but the number on her token was four. “I don’t know who were the other two. I even asked the officials present here, but they had no clue,” she said, giving rise to the suspicion that touts and agents were still at it.
SEVENTH DAY LUCKY
Kakoli Sarkar was ahead of Suman in the same queue. She, too got her ticket after 20 hours. She had come to the city to see her uncle who was admitted to Civil Hospital and wanted to go back to Kolkata. “I had been trying for the last six days. I was praying to the God and my wish was a ticket! My wish has been granted,” she added, heaving a sigh of relief. Ayodhya Yadav, an Amraiwadi resident, was not so lucky.
“Three of us from my family are trying for the last four days. My time and leaves are getting wasted, yet I haven’t got any ticket,” he said. Yadav was yet to obtain the tickets to Lucknow until Friday evening. Like Yadav, Anil Mehta and his wife had arrived at the PRS at 4 am. She was seventh in the queue for women, but the tatkal ticket to Asansol, their destination, got exhausted before her it was her turn.
She did not get general reservation ticket as the counter showed “no room”. Mehta works for a road construction company in Ahmedabad and has been transferred to Udaipur. His wife had to go to Asansol. There are many who are stuck in the city. A case in point is U Rajeev from Vijaywada. “For the past two days I have been coming to the station early in the morning thinking that I will get my turn. But I have just not been able to reach the booking window.” Rajeev had come to Ahmedabad on a vacation.
