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Reservation blues for passengers

J. Balaji

AGONISING WAIT: Passengers at the reservation counter at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station. — Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

VISAKHAPATNAM: The railway reservation complex here is overflowing with passengers waiting to book tickets for their summer holiday destinations.

The railway authorities, instead of helping passengers, have only aggravated the situation by reducing the number of booking counters from six to four citing shortage of staff.

The reason given for closure of counters is "link failure." The token system introduced for reservation a few months ago has not brought any relief to passengers, thanks to reduction in the number of counters.

It takes a minimum of two hours to book a ticket now.

Says Indrani, a city resident:

"It took nearly 45 minutes for me to collect the token though I had turned up well before the opening of the counter.

It took another one hour to know the counter number for booking the ticket as the number is displayed on a small TV screen.

It is high time the railways looked into the matter and did something."

Display problem

Many passengers complain that the TV screen is too small and it is very difficult for senior citizens to read the display.

Even after knowing the counter number and going to the respective counter, there is no guarantee that their turn would come according to the order of the numbers allotted to that counter.

For example, a person who has token number `235' might rush and stand in the queue and would not allow the person with the number "230" (who too is allotted to the same counter) despite knowing that the latter should get priority in booking.

The booking staff go about their job mechanically, complains Bhargav, lecturer of a city college.

"Women and senior citizens are the worst affected as `might is right' prevails even in the queue," he adds.

Chairs, fans, water and toilet facilities are grossly inadequate in the reservation complex.

There is no leg space to move freely in the hall.

Some times due to link failure or computer problem, token numbers are redistributed to other counters, leading to delays and frayed tempers.

Wonders K. Rama Rao, a senior citizen: "What is the use of being a resident of Vizag when there is hardly any development in the railways for the last 10-15 years.

What happened to the railway's proposal to construct a new reservation complex near the parcel office?"

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager C. Venugopal, while admitting that there is staff shortage in the reservation complex, says it will be addressed in six months.

"We are trying to draw personnel from other places."

There is a plan to increase the size of the TV monitor and the proposed electronic display boards in the reservation complex to announce the token numbers, counter numbers and other details would be installed in a month.

As there is no travel agent ready to undertake rail bookings and the Internet booking is also too costly for the common man (about Rs. 50 is collected per head), the people of the city of destiny are keeping their fingers crossed hoping that Railway Minister Lalu Prasad would do something.

Timings extended

Staff Reporter adds: The working hours of the computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station has been extended up to 10 p.m. with immediate effect.

The timings have been extended in view of the extra rush of passengers at the reservation counter at Waltair Division.

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