Title - Ten counters at Patna Junction Tatkal' tickets - The Times of India

PATNA: The Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) has made elaborate arrangements for issuing tatkal tickets from all its passenger reservation system (PRS) counters under the amended rules from July 10.

There would be 10 counters at Patna Junction only for tatkal tickets, including one exclusively for women. Efforts are on to deploy women staff at most of the tatkal counters. Under the new rules, passengers can book tatkal tickets between 10am and 12pm and one day before the journey date. If they fail to get confirmed tickets, they can book tatkal tickets on waiting list from PRS counters till 4pm.

According to divisional railway manager (DRM), Danapur, L M Jha, railways would start issuing reserved tickets from 8am at all its PRS counters. There would be separate counters for tatkal tickets at every station with PRS facility, he said.

Jha said that railways would maintain transparency while issuing tatkal tickets from PRS counters. Reservation supervisors have been given directives to maintain proper queues for both tatkal and general PRS tickets at each counter under the division. The PRS counters, which would function normally from 8am every day, would be closed for a break of 15 minutes from 9.45am to 10am so that tatkal booking could begin exactly at 10am, he said.

According to the DRM, the PRS counters would start issuing normal tatkal tickets after 12pm till 4pm at these counters. Reservation staff on duty would accept duly filled-in requisition slips with full address for issuing tatkal tickets. The stations with single PRS counter would book tatkal tickets only from 10am to 12pm. However, normal tickets would be issued to passengers after 12pm, the DRM clarified.

According to senior divisional commercial manager (senior DCM), Danapur, A K Rajak, the PRS having two counters like at Patna Saheb, Buxar, Mahendru Ghat, Patna High Court and Patna University, would issue tatkal and normal tickets separately from these two counters at their respective time. At stations like Danapur and Ara, where the number of counters is three, one counter would be exclusively for tatkal tickets while two other counters would issue normal tickets, he said.

Rajak said the railways would make all possible efforts to streamline tatkal ticket booking, particularly at Patna Junction and Rajendra Nagar Terminal where there is a heavy rush of passengers.