Title - Ticketing centres now closer to the public

Scheme will make unreserved ticket booking easy.
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The Railways are seeking more manpower to execute its scheme to bring hassle-free unreserved ticket booking closer to the doorsteps of passengers.The Railways have decided to rope in MPs, legislators, chiefs of local bodies, and the Kerala State Road Transportation Corporation management to enrol more Jansadharan Ticket Booking Sevaks (JTBS), as the scheme did not take off as expected.In the Thiruvananthapuram railway division, 24 persons have been enrolled as JTBS agents while the one sanctioned in Ernakulam Junction has not yet started work. As many as 34 agents are operating 37 counters in the adjacent Palakkad division. Five more have been given the nod and another 25 applications received in the Palakkad division are being processed.“The JTBS helps avoid rush at the ticket counters in stations. This is a self-employment scheme and those getting selected will be able to get Rs.1,000 to Rs.2,000 as income daily,” Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agrawal told The Hindu.The Railways have also started approaching shopkeepers near bus stations to enrol themselves as agents of the JTBS, as they can continue with their business while being part of the scheme. “We want serious individuals to come forward. We are even using posters this time to woo them,” he added.

The selected agent will sell unreserved rail tickets through computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS). Besides, the agent can issue senior citizen concession tickets and renew season tickets. The scheme will help the agent earn Rs.1 per passenger on ordinary and season tickets. The Railways have fixed 12 per cent of the JTBS allotment for the Scheduled Castes, 8 per cent for the Scheduled Tribes, 20 per cent for Other Backward Classes, and 9.5 per cent for the minorities. The agents should be above 18 years, should have a telephone connection and should be staying in the municipal limits, according to the Railways.

The agent will have to give a security deposit, bank guarantee, connectivity charges ,and security for the railway tickets. Besides, the applicant will have to produce the character certificate and a certificate from the local police station stating that no criminal case is pending against him/her.