Title - Technical snag hits work at railway counters With only 1 of 8 counters functioning, people have a to

Panchkula: It was a hard day for 50-year-old physically challenged Rajshree Chaudhary, who had to negotiate a foot overbridge to get her ticket booked at a reservation counter on the Panchkula side of the railway station. Similarly, 75-year-old Dharambir Singh had a difficult time crossing the overbridge for getting his ticket reservation done.Hundreds of passengers visiting the railway station to get their tickets booked had to return empty-handed as the computers in many reservation counters were out of order.For the past four days, computers in all six reservation counters on the Chandigarh side of the station and in one counter on the Panchkula side were out of order due to a technical fault. As a result, thousands of visitors had to go through a harrowing time. The snag was rectified this evening. Till then, only one counter on the Panchkula side was working.There are eight reservation counters at the railway station - two on the Panchkula side and six on the Chandigarh side.Station Superintendent Praveen Kumar said, “There was a problem with the computer monitors. I had written to the authorities in Delhi. I know people faced a problem. There was a technical fault because of which computers stopped working.”“I had come to get my ticket reservation done. I went to all counters and found clerks cracking jokes there. When I asked them why the counters were closed, they said the computers were not functioning,” said Abdul Sattar, a resident of Sector 29-D, Chandigarh.

He said, "I was not even allowed to lodge a complaint with the authorities there."

Vishal Singh, who is physically challenged and a resident of Sector 12, Panchkula, said, “I had difficulty in climbing the steep stairs and crossing the bridge to go to the counter on the Panchkula side of the station. There are no separate queues for the elderly and the physically challenged. I had a harrowing time standing in the rush for hours together.”

“I wanted to leave for Delhi urgently as my daughter was unwell. However, I had to wait for hours together at the Panchkula counter since the other reservation counters were not working,” said Rhea Singh. 

Tough time

Being physically challenged, I had difficulty in climbing the steep stairs and crossing the bridge to go to the counter on the Panchkula side of the station. There are no separate queues for the elderly and the physically challenged. I had a harrowing time standing in the rush for hours together — Vishal Singh, a resident of Sector 12, Panchkula

Officialspeak

There was a problem with the computer monitors. I had written to the authorities in Delhi regarding this. I know people faced a problem. There was a technical fault because of which computers stopped working — Praveen Kumar, Station Superintendent