Per day limit for e-tickets to be increased in four months

"Both IRCTC and CRIS, railways IT wing are working jointly in this direction," Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa said today.

Reviewing a meeting with Railway Board about steps taken to combat cases of black marketing and purchase of railway tickets by touts, he said during surprise checks 170 officers were identified conniving, of whom actions have been initiaited against 102 officials.

Actions initiated against them include penalties like removal and reversion from service, he said.

Between 2009-10 to 2011-12, Railways carried more than 2 lakh surprise checks, apprehending 4200 touts and over 63 lakh realised from them, he said.

Muniyappa's statement comes in the wake of Railways announcing a series of measures in the recent past to check misuse of tatkal scheme, which include starting tatkal booking at 10 am instead of 8 am.

The Minister said that per day on an average around 15 lakh Railway tickets are being sold through 8838 passenger reservation ticket counters and the e-ticketing website through IRCTC, out of which the Tatkal tickets constitutes around 1.70 lakh.