Tatkal Reservation

Tatkal Reservation

According to Railway Rules, “If the passenger whose identity card number is indicated on the ticket is not traveling, all other passengers booked on that ticket, if found traveling in train, will be treated as traveling without ticket and charged accordingly.” This rule is highly irrational, unethical and illogical. There may be several instances a person whose identity number is indicated on the ticket is forced to cancel his programme due to circumstances beyond his control like sickness, accident, death, (self or close relatives/friends) exigency of work missing the train or any other unavoidable reason. In that case Railways can verify the legitimacy of all the other passengers by verifying their I Card. After all, the passenger is not gaining anything by not travelling. There is not an iota of justification for such draconian rule. In the circumstances, imposing extra charge and penalty from other passengers of the group tantamount to rubbing salt on the wounds of the hapless passengers. Extra earning by Railways by such rules will be peanuts, but will be a harassment and ill treatment to the helpless passengers. The extra expenditure to be coughed up by the passengers will be colossal, in addition to the humiliation at the hands of Railway officials for no fault of theirs. It is hoped that Railways will amend the rules to make it more humane, by directing rest of the passengers to carry individual identity cards. This will not be a case of misuse of the facility and will not sabotage the measures taken by Railways to streamline the system of Tatkal reservation.