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नागपुर. भले ही रेलवे प्रशासन यात्रियों को हर सुविधा मुहैया कराने की बात कहता हो, लेकिन वास्तविकता कुछ अलग ही बयान करती है। दक्षिण पूर्व मध्य रेलवे नागपुर के इतवारी स्टेशन से छूटने वाली कुछ गाड़ियों की हालत इन दिनों बहुत ही खराब है। गाड़ियों में बने शौचालय में दरवाजे तक नहीं हैं। ट्रेन क्रमांक 51286 नागपुर-भुसावल पैसेंजर, 51260 नागपुर-अमरावती पैसेंजर आदि में इन दिनों यह हालत देखने मिल रही है। जिससे यात्रियों की परेशानी बढ़ रही है।

रखरखाव के अभाव में कई गाड़ियों की सीटों पर संभल कर बैठना पड़ता है। लापरवाही से बैठने पर फटे सीटों से बाहर निकले नुकिली कील गढ़ सकती है। कई बार यात्रियों को यह कील जख्मी करने का कारण भी बनी हैं।

 

 

गंदगी का आलम

सफाई के अभाव में ट्रेनों में गंदगी ने अपना डेरा जमा लिया है। प्लास्टिक, फलों के छिलके आदि पड़े रहते हैं। ट्रेनों के भीतर आता बारिश का पानी लगने से वह गीले होकर सड़ जाते हैं। जिससे डिब्बें में बदबू फैल जाती है। परिणामस्वरूप यात्रियों का स्वास्थ्य खतरे में पड़ रहा है।

 

शौचालय में पानी नहीं   

टूटे नलों की वजह से ट्रेनों के शौचालय में पानी तक  यात्रियों को नहीं मिल रहा है। प्रशासन की ओर से स्टेशन पर पानी उपलब्ध नहीं कराया जाता। लेकिन नल का पाइप जगह-जगह पर फूटा रहने से पानी लगातार बहता रहता है। जिसके चलते कुछ ही घंटे में पानी की टंकी खाली हो जाती है। और यात्रियों को जरूरत पड़ने पर शौचालय में इस्तमाल करने के लिए पानी नहीं रहता है।

25-06-2013
A brief on Revised Refund Rules effective from 01.07.2013
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1.0Railway Passengers (Cancellation of ticket and Refund of fare) Rules, 1998 have not been substantially revised in the last 15 years during which period a large number of changes have taken place in the ticketing system of Indian Railways.Firstly, Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) as well as Computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) have proliferated. Reservation through internet has also been introduced through which 45% of the total reserved tickets are issued. Integrated Train Enquiry System -- 139 is functional through which ticket status can be obtained through SMS. The above developments warranted that the refund rules be revised comprehensively.

2.0Accordingly, Revised Refund Rules have been notified and shall come into force w.e.f. 01.07.2013. The amendments made in the Refund Rules are aimed at simplification, efficiency in processing and reduction of bogus refund claims.

3.0The major changes in the existing rules and the amendments in refund rules are as under:-


3.1Unused (unreserved) tickets o­n which no reservation has been made:

Existing rule
Amended rule
If a ticket o­n which no reservation of a seat or berth has been made is presented to the station master for cancellation refund of fare shall be made o­n every such ticket after deducting the clerkage.
(i) within three hours after the actual departure of the train for which the ticket is issued or
(ii) for any ticket valid for the whole day, within three hours after the actual departure of the last train of the day for the destination station
If a ticket o­n which no reservation of a seat or berth has been made is presented for cancellation, refund of fare shall be made o­n every such ticket after deducting the clerkage.
(i)The ticket shall be presented for cancellation within three hours of issue of ticket.
(ii) In case of tickets issued in advance the ticket is presented upto 2400 hours of the day preceding the day of journey.

3.2Unused tickets o­n which reservationhas been made:

(i) if the ticket is presented for cancellation more than forty eight hours instead of the existing 24 hours in advance of the scheduled departure of the train, a minimum per passenger cancellation charge shall be deducted at the flat rate of rupees o­ne hundred and twenty for air-conditioned first class/executive class, rupees o­ne hundred for air-conditioned-II tier/first class, rupees ninety for air-conditioned III-tier/ 3 economy/air-conditioned chair car, rupees sixty for sleeper class and rupees thirty for second class.

(ii)if the ticket is presented for cancellation between forty eight hours and upto six hours instead of existing 24 hours and upto 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation charge shall be twenty five per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iii)if the ticket is presented for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours irrespective of distance instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train, the cancellation charge shall be fifty per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iv) No refund shall be granted o­n the reserved ticket if it is surrendered for cancellation after two hours of the actual departure of the train.

(v)In case, o­n a party ticket or a family ticket issued for travel of more than o­ne person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are o­n waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hoursinstead of existing 3 hours after actual departure of the train”.

3.3Unused waitlisted or RAC tickets:–

Existing rule
Revised rule
If the ticket is presented for cancellation upto 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train, except deduction of clerkage;
Provided that for night trains leaving between 21.00 hours and 06.00 hours (actual departure), refund shall be admissible at the station within the time limits specified above or within first four hours after the opening of reservation office, whichever is later.
If a Waitlisted/RAC ticket is presented for cancellation, refund of fare shall be admissible after deducting the clerkage.
(i) The ticket is presented for cancellation upto three hours after the actual departure of the train irrespective of the distance.
(ii) The passenger may get the tickets cancelled from any PRS counters or the designated current counters.
(iii) No refund of fare shall be granted o­n RAC ticket /Waitlisted ticket after three hours of the actual departure of the train.
(iv) In case no current counters are available at journey originating station for night trains leaving between 21.00 hours and 06.00 hours(actual departure , refund shall be admissible at the station within first two hours after the opening of reservation office.
(v) In remote and hill areas as identified by the zonal Railways with the prior approval of the General Managers and print in their Time Tables for train leaving between 1900 hours and 0600 hours (actual departure) refund shall be admissible at the station within first two hours after the opening of reservation/booking office, in case there is no reservation counters/booking office/ current counters. Available in that area.
3.4Cancellation of e- tickets.-

·The e- ticket may be booked and cancelled through internet and the refund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s account after deducting the charges applicable.

·In case of a confirmed e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused tickets o­n which reservation has been made. In case of RAC e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted and RAC tickets.

·In case ofthe waitlisted e-ticket o­n which status of all the passengers is o­n waiting list even after preparation of reservation charts, names of all such passengers booked o­n that Passenger Name Record (PNR) shallbe dropped from the reservation chart andrefund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s accountafter deducting the clerkage.

·In case o­n a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket issued for travel of more than o­ne person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are o­n the list of RAC and waiting list, then in case of passengers o­n RAC or waitlisted not travelling, a certificate has to be obtained from the ticket checking staff to that effect and refund of fare shall be processed o­nline through TDR, indicating the details of the certificate issued by ticket checking staff.

·The o­nline TDR shall be filed upto seventy two hours of actual arrival of the train at passenger’s destination and the original certificate issued by the ticket checking staff is to be sent through post to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The fare shall be refunded by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to the customer’s account after due verification.
·In case of e-tickets (confirmed or RAC), if the reservation charts have beenprepared, o­nline TDR is required to be filed for obtaining refund. No refund of fare shall be admissible o­n e- ticket having confirmed reservation in case the request for refund is filed o­nline after two hours of the actual departure of the train.
·No refund of fare shall be admissible o­n RAC e-tickets in case the request for refund is filed o­nline after three hours of the actual departure of the train.

3.5 Refund o­n Tatkaltickets:

·No refund of fare shall be admissible o­n confirmed Tatkal ticket.
·In case of Tatkal ticket o­n waitlist, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted or RAC tickets.
·In case o­n a party Tatkal ticket or a family Tatkal ticket issued for travel for more than o­ne person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are o­n waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire Tatkal ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours before the scheduled departure of the train or upto two hours of the actual departure of the train.
3.6 Postponement or preponement of journey o­n a reserved, RAC or waitlisted ticket.

Thepostponement or preponement of journey o­n confirmed or RAC or waitlisted ticket shall be allowed in the same class and for the same destination instead of any longer distance or any higher class by the same train or by any other train for any subsequent days,subject to condition that the ticket is surrendered during the working hours of reservation office and at least forty eight hours instead of existing 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the train in which originally booked.

3.7Non-commencement or missing of journey due to late running of trains. -

·No cancellation charge or clerkage shall be levied and full fare shall be refunded to all passengers holding reserved, RACand waitlisted tickets, if the journey is not undertaken due to late running of the train by more than three hours of the scheduled departure of the train from the station commencing the journey subject to condition that the ticket is surrendered upto the actual departure of the train instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train
·in case of e-tickets, the TDRis filed o­nline before the actual departure ofthe train for availing full refund.
·In case the ticket is cancelled or surrendered or if the request for refund of fare is filedonline after the actual departure of the train, no refund of fare shall be admissible.
3.8Lost, misplaced, torn or mutilated tickets: -

If the reservation status of a lost, misplaced, torn or mutilated ticket, at the time of receipt of the application for issuance of a duplicate ticket for the purpose of undertaking journey, is confirmed or RAC and that the duplicate ticket is sought before preparation of reservation chartof the concerned train, the station master shall issue a duplicate ticket in lieu of the original ticket o­n payment of rupees fiftyper passenger in case of second and sleeper class andrupees o­ne hundredper passenger for other classes instead of existing clerkage charge.

3.9Application for refund of Passenger Reservation System (PRS) tickets in other circumstances:-

For refund of fare under circumstances other than those specified in these rules or under circumstances like ‘bandh’ or agitations or floods,etc., the passengers could not reach the reservation counter or station or current counters for cancellation of tickets, in those cases, a TDRshall be issued to the passenger and the passenger may apply for refund of fare within ten days instead existing 90 days from the day of commencement of journey to the Chief Commercial Manager (Refunds) of the railway administration under whose jurisdiction the TDR issuing station comes, enclosing the original TDR. The TDR shall be issued o­nly upto three days instead of existing 30 days after the scheduled departure of the train.

******

JALPAIGURI: The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) on Sunday evening seized 14.54 kg gold worth Rs 4 crore at the New Jalpaiguri railway station. Acting on a tip-off, DRI officials raided the Howrah-bound Kamrup Express and arrested four persons, including two women. In all, 40 gold bars were found on them. Of the four arrested, three - Bijay Kumar, Chanda Devi and Priyanka Kumari - are residents of Bihar's Rohtak while the fourth one - Prahlad Soni - hails from Dum Dum. The gold bars were hidden inside the handles of their trolley bags. Primary interrogation revealed that the bars were brought from Myanmar, routed through Nagaland and Guwahati, and were supposed to be taken to Kolkata. The seizure of the gold bars has once again proved that Siliguri corridor continues to be one of the most preferable transit hubs for smugglers from the north-eastern states. Time and again, authorities have seized smuggled goods from in and around Siliguri. This includes seizure of sandal wood, antiques, gold and fake currency notes. The facility with Siliguri is that within 100-km radius one can access Nepal, Bhutan, Bangaldesh and northeast India.

JALPAIGURI: The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) on Sunday evening seized 14.54 kg gold worth Rs 4 crore at the New Jalpaiguri railway station. Acting on a tip-off, DRI officials raided the Howrah-bound Kamrup Express and arrested four persons, including two women. In all, 40 gold bars were found on them. Of the four arrested, three - Bijay Kumar, Chanda Devi and Priyanka Kumari - are residents of Bihar's Rohtak while the fourth one - Prahlad Soni - hails from Dum Dum. The gold bars were hidden inside the handles of their trolley bags. Primary interrogation revealed that the bars were brought from Myanmar, routed through Nagaland and Guwahati, and were supposed to be taken to Kolkata. The seizure of the gold bars has once again proved that Siliguri corridor continues to be one of the most preferable transit hubs for smugglers from the north-eastern states. Time and again, authorities have seized smuggled goods from in and around Siliguri. This includes seizure of sandal wood, antiques, gold and fake currency notes. The facility with Siliguri is that within 100-km radius one can access Nepal, Bhutan, Bangaldesh and northeast India.

Guwahti: CPI (M)’s youth wing, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), on Sunday slammed the Centre for delay in completion of railway projects in the northeast.

The Tripura and Assam units of DYFI have decided to stage demonstration before the Northeast Frontier Railways headquarters at Maligaon here on August 7. In the demonstration, they will demand the early completion of railway projects.

Tapas Dutta, president of DYFI Tripura unit, has told that broad gauge conversion of tracks in South Assam is an important railway projects, but it is still incomplete.

In a shocking incident, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Gagan Behari Swain died after he came under a  passenger train at Bhubaneswar Railway Station here on Monday afternoon.

Swain was serving as Additional Secretary in the Planning and Coordination (P&C) Department of the State Government.

Preliminary reports from the Government Railway Police (GRP) said, he allegedly hurled himself in front of the train. A case of unnatural death has been lodged and investigation is underway. The incident took place at about 5.30 pm. Swain, who was at platform no 3 came in front of the Howrah-Puri Passenger which resulted in serious head injury causing his death.

Though other angles were not ruled out, police did not see foul play. Inspector-in-Charge of GRP, Bhubaneswar Soubhagya Swain said bookstall owners and wheelers saw Swain hurling himself in front of the train. Even the train driver corroborated the same, he said. The exact cause of the officer taking the extreme step is yet to be known.

While it is yet to be ascertained whether the officer was at the station to see off or receive someone, the police found no platform ticket from his possession. Swain, who was earlier Collector of Sonepur district, also served in various departments such as Textiles and Handlooms. He is survived by wife and two sons. His youngest son was to get married on June 30 and invitation cards have also been distributed.

When the news broke, officials from Home Department called up Swain’s wife to know his whereabouts. Unaware of the tragic incident, she is reported to have said that the officer has not returned home yet.

RANCHI: Come rain and Ranchi railway junction turns into a commuter's nightmare. Used everyday by more than 25,000 passengers, slight hint of a rain leads to partial flooding here.

Adding to the passengers' woes are leaking shades on platform numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, which facilitate flooding. "I had to lift my trolley bag while coming out of platform no. one as it was flooded," said Amarnath Singh, a businessman who arrived here on Monday morning.

The asbestos shed on platform number one was constructed eons ago and is in a bad shape with gaping holes at several places. When it rains incessantly, water gushes through the rifts and inundates the platform. "I was stranded on platform no. one last week when it was raining heavily. I had several bags on me when it started raining heavily all of a sudden. I ran for cover but could not carry my luggage to a safe place. While I was drenched, my bags got soaked in the rain," said Ajay Kumar, an Army jawan.

Though passengers have complained about the problem to the railway authorities, nothing has been done so far. The matter was eventually brought to the notice of the Jharkhand Passengers' Association.

"We have submitted an application to the DRM and demanded immediate solution," said R K Sarawgi, president of the association. The problem is being reported from all the platforms. Platforms 1, 2 and 3 are not fully covered, added Sarawgi. Ranchi DRM G Malaya has assured, "All the leaking roofs would be repaired within a week".

Srinagar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will on Wednesday inaugurate the rail link between Banihal to Qazigund in the Kashmir Valley. The much awaited Banihal-Qazigund rail link will turn Kashmir's dream of an all-weather surface link into a reality. Here are the highlights of the new rail link:



The section between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir is 18 kilometres long.

The Banihal-Qazigund section includes an 11-km-long tunnel – India’s longest, 2nd longest in Asia.

The opening of the section marks the start of the rail service to the Kashmir Valley.

The Banihal-Qazigund section will link the already operational 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla to the rest of the country.

Eight coach trains will run between Banihal and Baramulla from June 27 after the inaugural run on June 26.

The Banihal-Baramulla-Banihal train will make five trips daily beginning at 7.10 am from Banihal and 7.35 am from Baramulla.

The section will reduce the distance from 35 km (by road) to 18 km.

The rail link has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore.

Passengers travelling by train from Kashmir Valley to Banihal can avail bus service from there till Udhampur where train service is available for the rest of the country.

Kashmir's dream of an all-weather surface link will turn into a reality tomorrow when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurate the rail link between Banihal to Qazigund in the Valley. Singh and Gandhi will jointly flag off the first train at around 11.50 AM on the 18-km-long section between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir, marking the start of the rail service to the Valley.The 8-coach train will make regular operation from Banihal to Baramulla from June 27 after the inaugural run on June 26. The Banihal-Baramulla-Banihal train will make five trips daily beginning at 7.10 AM from Banihal and 7.35 AM from Baramulla.Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vora and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with other central ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad are expected to be present on the historic occasion."We have seven pairs of trains to run between Banihal and Baramulla. Earlier there were five rakes only but now it has been increased," said a senior Northern railway official. The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km-long tunnel, will reduce the distance from 35 km (by road) to 18 km. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore. This rail section is very significant as it will provide an all-weather link to Kashmir Valley which often gets cut off from the rest of the country due to snowfall during winters. Passengers travelling by train from Kashmir Valley to Banihal can avail bus service from there till Udhampur where train service is available for the rest of the country.Northern Railway is coordinating with Jammu and Kashmir government for arrangements for the bus service. "The bus service will be available from Udhampur to facilitate passengers availing train from Banihal next month," a senior Northern Railway official said.Train service is already operational within Kashmir Valley on the 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla in north Kashmir. "It (Qazigund-Banihal section) was a challenging task. Besides the difficult terrain, land was acquired for the Kashmir rail link project in adverse law and order situation in the state," the official said.Trial run on Banihal-Qazigund section was successfully done on December 28 last year and since then trains carrying stones are running on regular basis. Currently, problems are being faced by passengers travelling between Banihal and Qazigund due to closure of Jawahar Tunnel in winter months due to heavy snowfall.Last winter, only one-way vehicular movement was allowed between Jammu andSrinagar on national highway. There were sudden closures for almost four months from December 2012 to March this year due to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions."All these problems will be reduced to a large extent by running of train services between Banihal and Qazigund," the Northern Railway official said, adding that "it will be a cheaper, faster and dependable mode of transport for the people."
Known as Pir Panjal tunnel, it is the longest transportation tunnel in India and third longest in Asia. The tunnel has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,300 crore and taken almost seven years to complete.
The tunnel has been constructed using New Austrian Tunnelling Method, which has been used for the first time on such a large scale in India. This method optimises the tunnel design by mobilising the inherent ground strength in adopting a curved section,providing primary support system immediately after excavation and monitoring the ground behaviour while permitting it to develop its inherent strength.
A three-meter wide road has been provided inside the tunnel for maintenance and emergency rescue and relief operations. The tunnel has been made water-proof by providing continuous PVC membrane between primary and secondary lining. It has also been equipped with the state-of-the-art air quality monitoring system, ventilation system, communication system, fire fighting system and emergency rescue system.

A golden opportunity has been given by the Railway Board to end the problems of Waltair Division. The Board has sent a letter to the East Coast Railway (ECoR) Zone headquarters in Bhubaneswar seeking information on issues like: the number of platforms in Visakhapatnam Railway Station, number of trains handled, pressure on the railway station, and the advantage of having additional platforms.The Board was convinced of the need to lay a third line between Visakhapatnam and Gopalapatnam and construction of four additional platforms to prevent the detention of trains, according to sources. Though the number of platforms was increased from five to eight a few years ago, Visakhapatnam being a terminal station needs more platforms.The Board also felt that the creation of the additional facilities would also solve most of the traffic problems and would come in handy in case a new zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters was created .

The Zone has written to the Divisional authorities seeking their comments, in detail, on issues covering various aspects like: justification for the new platforms, new line, operational requirements, commercial viability and technical feasibility. It had sought an early reply but it’s learnt that the Divisional authorities are yet to respond.

The construction of additional platforms and third line to Gopalapatnam can end most of the problems like holding up of trains beyond Gopalapatnam due to non-availability of platforms and also rule out the need to divert through trains via Duvvada and end the woes of hundreds of passengers of the city.

It’s high time that the Divisional authorities concerned acted immediately on the issue.

Our MPs should also take up the issue on a priority and bring pressure on the authorities to address the long-pending problem.

“We haven’t received any such letter so far,” Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar told The Hindu on Monday.


It’s high time MPs pressurise authorities to solve long-pending problems of the rail division