Indian Railways presents a unique example of extortion from its passengers. In 2022-23, Railways earned a whopping revenue of more than Rs 2109 crore just by canceling passengers’ tickets. By December in the financial year 2023-24, Railways had already earned an additional revenue of Rs 1762 crore. According to a senior Railway Board official, this time the income from canceling tickets could reach 2300 million rupees.
CCM office is near New Delhi railway station. A senior official in the CCM office said that currently a fee is charged on the board for canceling a ticket. This is the main source of income for railways. A source sitting at the railway ticket counter says that a minimum deduction of 60 rupees is made on cancellation of the waiting list ticket. A fee of Rs 120 per person is charged for canceling a seat-allocated ticket. Similarly, the charge for canceling a ticket of a person in the AC-3 waiting list is Rs 65.
Pradeep Singh is a doctor by profession. Wanted to go to Kolkata with family. Their ticket was not approved at the last minute and after returning the tickets of six people from the counter around 390 rupees were deducted. Pradeep Singh says what is his crime in this? He took the ticket from India Railways a month ago. He paid the money while taking the ticket. The money remained in the railway account for a month and when the ticket was not approved, what is their fault? Why does the government charge so much for canceling the last ticket on the waiting list?
Former railway officer Vimal Kumar says that earlier this charge was very low. It’s too much now. They say Indian Railways already has advance customers. A large number of people buy waitlisted tickets in the hope that they will be confirmed later. But if the card is not approved, it is their compulsion to return it. A train also takes advantage of this compulsion.
Similarly, the railway tripled passenger train fares after the outbreak of the Corona epidemic in the country. When the tickets were priced at Rs 10, they have been increased to Rs 30. Trains have been criticized a lot for this. Last month, while taking steps in this direction, the railway lowered passenger train fares to pre-corona fares, but has not yet provided additional facilities for passenger training such as a reduction in fares for senior citizens, etc. Every officer in the Railway Ministry hesitates to say anything about it. Similarly, Indian Railways has raised many allegations regarding food and drink on trains. The fees were also increased, but no significant improvement was seen in the level of food and drink.
There is no quality improvement in the train’s food and drink
Even in top trains like Delhi Mumbai Rajdhani, there is no quality change in food standard as claimed. This can be estimated from the fact that 40-45 percent of passengers traveling daily on Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani do not book the meal and breakfast along with the ticket. Pantry manager of Delhi Mumbai Tejas Rajdhani, on the condition of anonymity, said that the standard of food we maintained at Rajdhani ten years ago, the situation is the same even today. The source says that they will have to take some important steps to change this situation, but for that very concrete decisions have to be made.
Wand Bharat is getting empty, why?
Dr. Binod Bihari Chovi says central government has done so much publicity about W&B train, but the train is empty on most of the routes. While tickets of people in other passenger trains on the same route remain in the waiting list. Dr. Chovi says you pay fare Much higher compared to traveling in Vande Bharat. On the contrary, you have to travel sitting down. Thirdly, the timetable of Vande Bharat is also not according to the class it travels. Dr. Chovi says that due to higher price of Vande Bharat and less comfort in comparison, people like to travel in it less. He is an officer of the railway. It is said that there are many Vande Bharat flights where only 40-62 percent passengers travel. Rest of the seats remain vacant.
