Railways has made it mandatory to file requisition forms while buying season tickets from April 1
The latest ruling by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has put the railway officials from Mumbai division in quandary.
Officials from Mumbai division said it was impractical for the ticket booking staff to collect addresses of 75 lakh commuters who travel on the Western and Central line. File pic
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In a recently issued directive, the court asked the Indian Railways to collect addresses of all the commuters purchasing seasonal passes or unreserved long-distance journey tickets so that those committing offences under section the Indian Penal Code or the Railways Act in trains or on railway premises could be barred for life from seeking seasonal passes or unreserved tickets.
Based on the order, the Railway Board recently issued a notification to all its divisions asking them to abide by the directive.
‘A mammoth task’
Senior railway officials from Mumbai division said it was impractical for the ticket booking staff to collect addresses of 75 lakh commuters who travel on the Western and Central line.
“Initially, we would be collating addresses of pass holders on the suburban line and those purchasing unreserved tickets for long distance journeys at the ticket windows. This, however, could result in serpentine queues. And might upset commuters,” said a senior railway official.
He added that there was no mechanism in place, which the railway officials could use to authenticate addresses provided by commuters. Moreover, the ticket booking staff does not have the authority to seek and verify addresses.
“All a booking clerk can do is type the address mentioned by a commuter. There is possibility that the address may vary during a subsequent purchase by the same commuter,” he said.
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