Well, booking train tickets could be a challenge, especially during the festive season. And when it comes to booking a tatkal ticket, the tickets get sold out in no time.
Tatkal ticket booking is allowed in all train classes except for AC first class and executive class. Now, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to prevent the tout activities while booking of e-tickets has decided to deploy several checks of the bookings made on the app.
In a press release issued by the Ministry of Railways, new guidelines have been listed down to eliminate unscrupulous during the booking of e-tickets.
The press note was in reply to a question asked to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha on the working of Railway Ministry on March 3.
Here are the new guidelines;
1. Now, there will be a restriction of only 2 Tatkal tickets per user from 10 am to 12 noon.
2. Random security questions will be asked during the booking of tatkal tickets.
3. There will be a restriction of only one tatkal ticket per day per train to retail service providers (agents).
4. Only one IRCTC User ID on a given mobile number and email ID can be created now.
5. Ministry of Railways has set a limit of booking six Railway tickets by an individual user in a month. However, if you have and IRCTC user with Aadhaar linked, you can book 12 Railway tickets per month and at least one of the passengers in the passenger list is verifiable through Aadhaar.
6. Now, there will be a restriction of only one booking in one user login session except for return/onward journey between 8 am and 12 noon.
7. Also, dynamic CAPTCHA has been introduced at three places- registration, login and booking page to keep a check on the fraudulent booking through automation software.
8. There will be checks on the minimum time required to enter passenger details and display of CAPTCHA at the time of e-ticket booking by users.
9. Moreover, now there will be a restriction on authorized agents of IRCTC for booking tickets during the first fifteen minutes of opening of Advance Reservation Period (ARP) booking and Tatkal booking.
10. Ministry of Railways has also said that regular drives are being conducted by RPF against persons/agencies found involved in unauthorized carrying on of the business of procuring and supplying of railway tickets. The offenders are booked under section 143 of the Railways Act.
11. The Ministry will also use PRABAL query-based application for verification of IRCTC IDs to detect the cases of illegal E-ticketing with follow up action.
