More tatkal counters demanded

Tirupati: While berth reservation in trains via Tatkal quota is often considered a difficult proposition through online, devotees visiting the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara are finding it even more difficult to procure the reservations in the offline mode.

The central reservation counter has only three functioning counters and several passengers are not getting confirmed berths. Many passengers have been complaining that number of counters should be increased to facilitate quick reservation during opening hours of Tatkal booking as the limited quota will be getting booked within a few minutes.

The passengers coming there to reserve their tickets under general quota also facing even more hardship with only two counters functioning throughout the day from 8 am to 8 pm and three counters function only from 10 am to 12 noon for Tatkal quota passengers.

Tirupati station fetches Railways a revenue of about Rs 20 crore per annum with daily revenue of around Rs 6 lakh. Though the revenue through ‘Passenger Reservation System’ (PRS) has been coming down gradually from year after year as many people booking their tickets online, still, per day about 1,000 tickets are being reserved at reservation counters.

All these tickets were being booked through the two counters only forcing passengers to wait for more time. The reservation complex has the capacity of running 12 counters at a time. Keeping in view, the number of tickets booked there is a need for opening at least three more counters to facilitate easy transactions for the passengers.

But, it was learnt that the severe staff shortage was the main reason for the authorities which constrained them from opening more counters. The authorities have been receiving complaints from waiting passengers several times to open more counters, but they were unable to do so. There was no enquiry counter also at the reservation complex and the authorities have been saying that it was the policy of the railways to remove enquiry counter at reservation complex all over India.

It was learnt that the booking clerks were redesignated as enquiry-cum-reservation clerks and they have to clear the doubts of the passengers. In reality, more number of uneducated passengers visit reservation complex to get their berths reserved which they cannot do so online. They get several doubts and unless they stand in line and approach the reservation clerk they cannot get their doubts clarified. Just for the sake of enquiry also one has to stand in queue line and this enquiry has been forcing others to wait for more time.

However, Tirupati Station Director K Satyanarayana maintained that the counters have been reduced as number of transactions have come down. There should be justification for additional requirement of staff and counters. After making job analysis, if there is workload, extra counters will be opened, he stated.

In fact, at least 250 transactions used to take place at a single counter in the past whereas it has come down to 100 now. Still, whenever there is extra rush, there were instructions for reservation supervisors to open other counters and clear it. As per the policy, the enquiry counter at the station complex is exclusively only for the passengers to get the information regarding the trains and platform numbers. 

He said, passengers can get the details from Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminal (POET) which were placed both at the reservation complex and station complex.