Lok Sabha Question No. 2789 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-03
Subject: Corruption in ticket Booking
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAHUL KASWAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2789 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2016

## CORRUPTION IN TICKET BOOKING

†2789. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the prescribed procedure for booking of berths/seats from emergency quota fixed for various trains;
- (b)  whether  the  cases  of  corruption  in  confirmation  of  emergency quota tickets in connivance with railway officers deployed in emergency quota cell by touts have been reported;
- (c) if so, the details of enquiry conducted during the last three years along with the person found guilty thereof, zone-wise;
- (d) the names of locations where emergency quota cell have been set up along with the number of officers deployed in each cell; and
- (e) the measures taken to streamline ticket booking system of railway and to check corruption in booking of tickets including tatkal tickets?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

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

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.2789  BY  SHRI  RAHUL  KASWAN  TO  BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 03.08.2016 REGARDING CORRUPTION IN TICKET BOOKING (a):  In  order  to  meet  the  urgent  travel  requirements  of  High  Official Requisition(HOR) holders, which includes Central Government Ministers,  Judges  of  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court/High  Courts  of    various States, Members of Parliament and other emergent demands, who are on the waiting list, a limited number of berths have been earmarked as Emergency  Quota  in  different  trains  and    in  different  classes.  The quota is released by the staff in accordance with the priority as per warrant  of  precedence  and  well  established  practice  being  followed since long.  At the time of allotment of berths/seats, emergency quota is  first  allotted  for  self  travel  of  HOR  holders/Members of Parliament, etc.,  strictly  as  per  their  inter-se  seniority  in  warrant  of  precedence. Thereafter, other requisitions received from various quarters including that  from  Members  of  Parliament  are  considered  and  the  remaining quota  is  released  taking  into  account  various  factors  like  status  of passengers travelling, nature of urgency like travelling on government duty, bereavement in the family, sickness, job interview, etc. (b): No, Madam. (c): Does not arise. (d):  Emergency  quota  is  generally  earmarked  at  Divisional  and  zonal Railway headquarters and other important locations where a gazetted officer is available to control the same. These offices are spread over entire  Indian  Railways  and  centralized  data  of  such  locations  along with details of officers deployed therein is not maintained.

(e):  With  a  view  to  streamline  the  ticket  booking  system  including Tatkal reservation and to check its misuse, various steps have been taken, some of which are as under:-

- (i) Passengers  have  been  given  the  option  to  book  reserved tickets  either  through  computerised  Passenger  Reservation System (PRS) terminals of Indian Railways, or through internet or  through  authorised  agents  like  e-ticketing  agents,  Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra (YTSK) licencees.
- (ii) It  has  now  been  made  mandatory  that  for  undertaking  in reserved class, one of the passengers has to produce one of the prescribed proof of identity in original failing which all the passengers  will  be  treated  as  travelling  without  ticket  and charged accordingly.
- (iii) A  provision  has  been  made  in  the  computerized  Passenger Reservation System(PRS) to ensure preparation of reservation charts at least four hours before scheduled departure of train and thereafter passenger can book the available accommodation through internet or across any computerized PRS center, till preparation of  second reservation charts.
- (iv) Surprise  checks  are  conducted  by  the  Commercial/Vigilance Departments to prevent and check irregularities in the reservation system.
- (v) No  refund  is  granted  on  cancellation  of  confirmed  Tatkal ticket.
- (vi) The facility of change of name is not permitted on the booking made under Tatkal Scheme.
- (vii) The timings of opening of booking under Tatkal scheme on the opening day of reservation have been staggered to 1000 hours and  1100  hours  on  the  previous  day  of  journey  from  train originating station for AC and non-AC classes respectively.
- (viii) Authorised ticketing agents have been restricted from booking Tatkal  tickets  during  the  first  thirty  minutes  of  opening  of Tatkal  booking  i.e.  from  1000  hours  to  1030  hours  and  from 1100  hours  to  1130  hours  for  air-conditioned  and  non-airconditioned classes respectively.
- (ix) Web  service  agents  have  been  permitted  to  book  only  one Tatkal ticket per train per day.
- (x) Maximum  four  passengers  per  PNR  are  permitted  for  Tatkal Tickets.  Individuals  are  allowed  only  2  Tatkal  tickets  per  IP Address from 1000 hours to 1200 hours and maximum number of  tickets  allowed  to  an  individual  user  is  limited  to  6  per month.
- (xi) CCTVs are installed at important PRS locations to monitor the activity of touts.

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