Title - Book rly tickets through mobile to check irregularties:MoS

Bangalore : Steps taken by Railways have helped in curbing irregularities in 'tatkal' ticket bookings to an extent and people should shun touts and use their mobile phones for reservations, Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa today said. "We have tried our best to curb tatkal booking irregularities at railway counters. You can book yours tickets using mobile phones. You need not go to touts and agents," he told reporters after holding a review meeting with Railway officials here. Muniyappa said the touts and agents had been restricted from buying tatkal tickets from 8 am to 10 am at the counters "which has curbed booking irregularities to an extent". On the railway projects in Karnataka, he said out of the 3,100 kms of line sanctioned, as much as 940 kms had been completed at a cost of Rs 4,730 crore, leaving a balance of around 2,100 kms which required Rs 13,000 crore. "The Railways share for these projects is Rs 8,800 crore and that of Karnataka Government is Rs 4,200 crore," he said. The state government had agreed to provide land free of cost for Whitefield-Kolar, Kudchi-Bagalkot, Tumkur-Davanagere and Shimoga-Harihar lines, he said.