Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

CCC challenges tatkal reservation system

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, DEC. 18 . The Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) has served a notice to the Railway Board seeking the withdrawal of the tatkal reservation.

In a notice served on the Chairman of the Railway Board with a copy to the General Manager, Southern Railway, seeking a response within 30 days, the Secretary of CCC, K. Kathirmathiyon, had pointed out that reservation of tickets under the tatkal system was nothing but legalising black marketing of tickets with official sanction.

The tatkal was introduced in select trains to offer reservation to those who paid an additional Rs. 50 for the second-class sleeper with reservation only a day before the journey. For this, the railways introduced an additional coach. The consumer body contended that tatkal denied tickets to passengers who booked tickets in advance and were still waitlisted, whereas those who planned their travel in the last minute were able to get reservation under the scheme.

Hike in charges

Previously, the railways used to attach additional coaches when the waiting list was long. The new scheme reduces the number of berths available for reservation under general quota and also hiked the fare of the tatkal tickets.

The CCC also pointed out that according to railway sources, the number of berths under the scheme in air conditioned coaches increased from 700 a day to 1,100. In non-air conditioned bogies, the number of berths and seats went up from 6,000 to 36,000 in addition to the hike in tatkal reservation charges ranging from 50 per cent to 300 per cent. The most disturbing factor is that all seats are allotted within the available capacity without attaching any additional coach for tatkal, Mr. Kathirmathiyon added.

Unfair on passengers

It was unfair to make passengers pay the fare for the total distance covered by the train (i.e., from the originating station to terminal station) even if the passenger were to get down at any of the intermediate stations. In a number of cases, the fare was found to be 300 per cent higher than the normal fare i.e. in terms of tatkal charges and in the form of fare for the untravelled distance. Mr. Kathirmathiyon wanted to know whether the railways would consider a super tatkal system for those passengers who could book tickets on the day of the journey. Under such circumstances, where the commercial interests of the Southern Railway was overtaking its social obligation, the consumer body would be constrained to seek justice before a court of law.

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