Parliamentary panel seeks blueprint for advanced Railway e-ticketing system

A parliamentary committee has asked the Railways to submit a blueprint for its plan to implement the new generation advanced e-ticketing system under which seven lakh tickets could be booked per day.

The public transporter has envisaged a better system which would work seamlessly even during high traffic when Tatkal booking begins.

Taking note of the roll-out plan, the Public Accounts Committee has asked Railways to spell out additional resources and expenditure which may be involved and the timeline by which the programme could be achieved.

"The committee would, therefore, like the Railway Ministry to submit a detailed master plan or a blueprint as to how it envisages to implement the new generation advanced e-ticketing system," it said in its report tabled in Parliament last week.

The committee has also slammed Railways' move to sell half of its Tatkal tickets under dynamic pricing mechanism, recommending reducing the premium on such tickets to a "minimum essential level" as the system was "legitimising inequality".

"It is high time Railways institutionalise the concerns of the poor. The committee would, therefore, like the Ministry to reduce premium on tickets of Tatkal reservation to a minimum essential level," it said in its report.

It observed that those who can afford to pay premium as well as those who have access to Internet are getting their confirmed berths without any hassles whereas those who cannot are not getting the tickets.

The panel also felt that the percentage of advanced reservation is enhanced and that Tatkal reservation should be reduced to a feasible and sustainable level in the greater interest of the travelling public.

"The system was legitimising inequality," the committee said.

The committee suggested that a certain quota restriction should be put on ticket reservation bookings by Internet so as to provide a better equitable opportunity for the poor, disadvantaged and the deprived classes of the society having no access to Internet.