|
|
|
| September 27, 2005 | Tuesday | Sha'aban 22, 1426 |
Blackmarketing of rail tickets
LAHORE, Sept 26: Blackmarketing of tickets is gaining momentum at the Lahore railway headquarters booking offices following the revision of the ticket refund policy, it is learnt.
Sources told Dawn on Monday that economy, lower AC and parlour car seats could be obtained an hour or so before the departure of major trains on payment of extra money through some agents.
The practice, they said, began last month soon after the enforcement of the new rules governing refund of unused tickets purchased in advance.
The previous policy allowed 70 per cent refund if reserved accommodation was cancelled and tickets returned 15 days before the departure of the train. The refund was 50 per cent if the ticket was returned within less than 15 days and 12 hours before the train departure. A traveller used to get only 25 per cent refund in case of surrendering the ticket within less than 12 hours before the train departure.
“The new rules allow 100 per cent refund if tickets are returned up to 48 hours or two days, 90 per cent between 24 and 48 hours before the train departure. Fifty per cent refund is allowed till the train departure,” they said.
The sources explained the modus operandi of the officials involved: “They ask the employees on the front desk to hold a certain number of seats in every major train in the name of national and provincial assemblies quotas besides high officers reservations. The reservation record shows the seats are occupied.”
Parliamentarians and senior railway officers, they said, rarely got their accommodation reserved in advance if at all they travel by rail.
Three such tickets —- Nos 225575 (lower AC), 455297 and 455298 —- were sold in the black on Sept 20, the sources said and added all the seats were “on hold” for the provincial assembly quota till 1:15pm.
The computerized ticketing system was introduced in January last year for almost all fast trains running on the main line.
The aim was to allow the railway authorities to check seat occupancy throughout their routes and offer a facility to passengers to get even their return tickets reserved.
The authorities also changed the reservation procedure at the Lahore railway headquarters booking offices.
The people seeking reservation of seats line up at some distance from the counter concerned. Only one person is allowed access to the counter at a time to avoid crowding around the place.
The step was necessitated following persistent complaints of pick-pocketing and over- and under-payments by passengers and the booking staff, the officials said.
Of the 14 counters in the booking office, nine are for economy while five for parlour and AC lower classes.
When contacted, senior officials denied blackmarketing of tickets, saying it was not possible in the presence of computerized system.
|
|
|
|
