Yesterday a very distressing event occurred when my dad of 70 yrs boarded the 12664 Tiruchirapalli- Howrah express at Villupuram. His PNR is 4146495038 for 2nd AC (2A) travel for 27/11/2012 from VM to HWH. Booking status on 09/11/2012 was GNWL 4/ WL 4. This was an eticket booked by me for my dad. This came down to W/L 1 one week before scheduled departure and RAC 4 on 25th ie 2 days before departure. On the date of departure, the train departs from Trichy at 1600 hrs ie 4pm. Since I wanted to find out the status I was constatntly logging on to irctc site and checking the status. The charting was done after 230pm and it showed A1 40. I checked again through 139 enquiry where it said confirmed and A1 40. My dad got it written down from the booking office at Puducherry Railway station from where he...
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took the passenger train to VM. At VM, while trying to board the AC 2 tier coach, he was informed by the TTE that A1 coach has become 3 tier AC and that he has to travel in 3 tier AC and that his berth is an upper one. Such things were told by the TTE to a group of other passengers. There was another 93 year gentleman who too was given an upper berth in 3AC. All these passengers were then issued a difference of fare certificate for travel in lower class. When my dad called me to inform this, I just told my dad to inform the TTE that the Indian Express reporters have been informed of a possible fraud taking place in the train by the TTE who had already sold the berths to the highest bidders at Trichy, the originating station, itself. And now the TTE was magnanimously allowing a refund of fare putting the onus of the loss of revenue on the Indian Railways and not on his own pocket. I meanwhile informed the Indian Express office in Chennai about this. Nearing Chennai Egmore he was offered a lower berth. The TTE claimed that there was no AC 2 tier coach in the train. Now why this mismanagement on the part of Railways. They increase fares. People book in advance. And still this is the service given to the aam aadmi. Right from our political leaders down to the government servants and organisations everyone is taking part in massive carelessness causing negligence bordering on wilful acts and acts of arrogance. These trains from the south to the east carry lot of patients. And this the way the railway treats its passengers. How brainless must be the officials that inspite of seeing the beyond the capacity occupancy rates of these trains, they still run the Trichy Howrah, Kanyakumari Howrah, Pondicherry Howrah, Bangalore Guwahati, Trivandrum Guwahati, Ernakulam Guwahati trains with one AC 2 tier coach. When will the government of this country wake up and deliver the services honestly for the money paid by an aam aadmi?
Dr. D. Datta
28/11/2012