Those travelling by special train must 'agree' to follow quarantine protocol of states: IRCTC

After passengers on board a special train to Bengaluru refused to be quarantined, the IRCTC has now decided that only those who agree to follow the quarantine protocol of the destination states will be allowed to book tickets on its portal.

The new rule, mentioned in a pop-up on its website, reads "I have read the health advisory issued by my destination state. I accept and shall abide by the same" and requires the passenger to click on 'I agree' to move forward and book tickets.

The rule comes days after around 50 passengers who arrived in Bengaluru from Delhi on May 14 refused to be quarantined at an institutional facility and created a ruckus at the station.

Despite much persuasion, the railways had to attach an extra bogie and send back around 15 passengers who refused to be quarantined. The passengers paid for their tickets.

According to IRCTC officials, before finally proceeding to book a ticket, a pop-up will now appear on the computer or mobile screen asking passengers to confirm if they had read the health advisory of the destination state and agree to abide by it.

The message is being displayed in Hindi as well as English.

If the passenger selects disagree, then s/he won't be able to book the ticket and will be returned to the reservation page.

The new rule is part of a growing list of "mandatory" protocols that the railways has issued due to travel restrictions during the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier, railways made it mandatory for passengers to download the government's contact-tracing app Aarogya Setu and also made it compulsory for passengers to list their destination address before they could book tickets on the IRCTC portal. It has also made wearing masks and social distancing mandatory during travel.

The special Rajdhanis are travelling between 15 major cities and the national capital.