Lok Sabha Question No. 3404 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Ticketing Touts
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAJAN BABURAO  VICHARE, KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3404 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## TICKETING TOUTS

3404. SHRI RAJAN VICHARE: SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a)  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Railways  to  prevent  touts  for  blocking bulk tickets and making fraudulent bookings;

(b) whether the Government is contemplating to introduce online ticketing system to prevent touts from blocking bulk tickets and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the steps taken by the Railways to promote cashless ticketing system in the country?

ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) to (c):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c) OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3404  BY  SHRI  RAJAN  VICHARE  AND SHRI  KIRTI  VARDHAN  SINGH  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON 22.03.2017 REGARDING TICKETING TOUTS.

- (a) Indian Railways has taken a large number of measures to  keep a check  on  the  activities  of  unscrupulous  elements/touts  involved  in malpractices in reservation, some of which are as under:-
- i. Modification of Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules.
- ii. Automatic  preparation  of  reservation  charts  at  least  4  hours before  scheduled  departure  of  train  and  thereafter  booking  of available  accommodation  through  internet  as  well  as  through computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters.
- iii. Condition of carrying of original proof of identity during journey by any one of the passengers booked on the ticket.
- iv. Conducting of regular and surprise checks by Security, Vigilance and Commercial Departments.
- v. Provision of CCTVs at important PRS locations.
- vi. Augmentation of capacity of existing trains/running special/new trains  to  meet  the  additional  demand  particularly  during  peak rush periods subject to operational feasibility.

- vii. Educating general public to buy tickets only from PRS counters/authorised ticketing agents.
2. (b) On  Indian  Railways  facility  of  booking  reserved  tickets  through internet is already available since 2002. During the period from January,  2017  to  February,  2017,  the  reserved  tickets  booked  through internet constituted around 62% of the total reserved tickets booked.
3. (c) All  tickets  booked  through  internet  are  cashless.    Moreover, instructions  have  been  issued  to  all  Zonal  Railways  for  installation  of Point  of  Sale  (PoS)  Machines  at  all  PRS  and  UTS  locations  to  allow cashless transactions using Debit/Credit cards. Further, ticketing through  mobile  phone  has  also  been  introduced  wherein  payment  is made  through  cashless  means.  Instructions  have  also  been  issued  to Zonal  Railways  to  ask  Yatri  Ticket  Suvidha  Kendras  (YTSKs)  issuing reserved/unreserved tickets to provide PoS Machines and to encourage Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sevaks (JTBSs) issuing unreserved tickets to  accept  payment  through  digital  modes  like  UPI,  USSD,  E-wallet  and Aadhaar enabled payment system.

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