Lok Sabha Question No. 542 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Opening of Reservation Centres Round the Clock
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Ravindra Kushawaha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 542 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## OPENING OF RESERVATION CENTRES ROUND THE CLOCK

†542. SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any proposal/scheme is under consideration of the Government to open round the clock Reservation Counters to facilitate the rail passengers in view of their increasing number;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  any  success  is  likely  to  be  achieved  through  curbing  the black marketing of Rail Reservation Tickets after the implementation of the said system; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

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

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 542  BY  SHRI  RAVINDRA  KUSHWAHA TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  05.02.2020  REGARDING OPENING OF RESERVATION CENTRES ROUND THE CLOCK.

(a)  and  (b):  At  present,  the  facility  to  book  reserved  tickets  is available  through  computerised  Passenger  Reservation  System (PRS)  counters  of  Indian  Railways  and  through  internet.    PRS counters generally function between 0800 hours and 2000 hours on weekdays and from 0800 hours to 1400 hours on Sundays. At some locations, working hours of these counters are also enhanced/reduced depending on the number of transactions handled. In addition, at certain major locations, reservation counters also operate to issue tickets against vacant accommodation  available  after  preparation of first reservation charts or to cancel accommodation already booked as per provisions of extant Refund Rules.

At  present,  more  than  70%  of  reserved  tickets  of  Indian Railways  are  booked  online  through  website  of  IRCTC  where  this facility is available throughout the day except for a short period of approximately  40  minutes  between  2340  hours  and  0020  hours during which user login is disabled.  The facility to procure reserved tickets  is  also  available  through  Yatri  Ticket  Suvidha  Kendra (YTSK).  YTSKs  are  located  outside  station  premises  thus  sparing the general public from queuing up PRS counters of Indian Railways to source tickets. These arrangements are considered adequate.

Contd.  2/-

(c) and (d):  Measures to streamline reservation system and to deter unscrupulous elements from misusing the reservation facility meant for  genuine  passengers  is  a  continuous  and  an  on-going  process.

Some of the important initiatives taken in this regard are as under:

- i. Instructions  have  been  issued  to  ensure  that  tickets  are  not booked on abbreviated names and full name of the passenger and the surname wherever applicable are captured at the time of booking reserved tickets.
- ii. Carrying of prescribed identity proof has been made compulsory for one of the passengers while undertaking journey in reserved class.
- iii. Regular checks are conducted in mass contact areas such as Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centres, booking offices, platforms, trains etc. to prevent unauthorized ticketing activities. Such checks are also intensified during peak period like festivals, holidays, etc.
- iv. Checks conducted at reservation offices  are  supplemented  by checks on the trains to detect the cases of transferred reserved tickets i.e. persons found travelling fraudulently against accommodation  actually  reserved  in  the  name  of  another passenger.
- v. Surveillance  at  reservation  offices  is  stepped  up  by  installing Close  Circuit  Television  at  important  PRS  locations  to  keep watch on any possible misuse of reservation system.
- vi. In case of online booking of tickets, checks have been applied on minimum time required to enter the passenger details and CAPTCHA and no ticket can be booked before 35 seconds. User IDs  are  checked  on  daily  basis  and  those  IDs  found  using malpractices like fast booking of tickets are deactivated.

- vii. A limit of booking 6 Railway tickets by an individual user in a month  in case of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) portal has been fixed. This limit has been revised to 12 Railway tickets in a month for those individual users who have linked their IRCTC user ID with their respective  Aadhaar  number and ensured that at least one of the  passengers  in  the  passenger  list  is  verifiable  through Aadhaar.
- viii. The  authorized  agents  of  IRCTC  have  been  restricted  from booking  tickets  during  first  fifteen  minutes  of  opening  of Advance Reservation Period (ARP) booking and Tatkal booking.
3. General  public  are  also  educated  through  Public  Address System  and  media,  not  to  buy  tickets  from  unscrupulous elements  and  consequences  of  buying  tickets  from  these
- ix. sources.
- x. In order to cater to additional demand during peak rush period, special trains are run and carrying capacity of existing trains is augmented, keeping in view the pattern of traffic, operational feasibility and availability of resources.
- xi. Computerised  Passenger  Reservation  System  (PRS)  has  also been streamlined by making a provision for automatic preparation of reservation charts at least four hours before the scheduled  departure  of  train  and  to  allow  booking  of  vacant accommodation thereafter till preparation of second reservation charts through internet as well as any computerised PRS counter.

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