Prabhu orders inquiry into alleged 'Tatkal' scam

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday initiated a full-fledged inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the online 'Tatkal' ticket booking system.

"Chair Rail Board will investigate complaints into IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) bookings to ensure full transparency," the minister tweeted in response to a sting operation conducted by news channel CNN-IBN.

According to the sting operation, a massive ticketing racket exists on the IRCTC website which the channel claims can be manipulated to book over two lakh rail tickets in just 30 seconds.

The minister promised a complete audit of the ticket booking system and tweeted: "Complete technical audit ordered for web bookings on IRCTC. No one will be allowed to manipulate a system."

According to the transcript made available by the TV news channel, a booking agent admits using a special software, costing Rs.6,000, to manipulate the ticketing system.

Tatkal tickets were started to help citizens make last-minute bookings for immediate rail travel. 'Tatkal', which literally means 'immediate', is one of the most sought after railway ticketing systems given the size of the population of the country.