Consumer Pain

Name: R. VISWANATH

Company: self

Iam a permanent resident of Visakhapatnam city and frequently travel to my native with family.Eversince Mr.Lalu became the railway minister,some new rules have been framed in such a manner that any “Bihari dada” can happliy and conveniently board any sleeper coach of his choice and complete the travel with an open ticket. The rules are framed in such a manner that the railway authorities including the police/RPF personnel are deprived the right to take action on these labour class fellows thus putting the reserved category passengers into lot of hardships and women travelling in slepeer coaches being harassed by these goonda fellows.The TTE\’s are demanding a minimum of Rs.200/- from each of these unreserved fellows and allowing them to complete the travel. If anyone questions them, they say that already they have paid money to the TTE\’s. The entire vacant area near the toilets and both exits are filled up with luggage and these guys smoks, eat gutkhas, take liquor and make the tiolets unfit for use. Also they pass comments on young girls going to toilets and no one has the guts to ask them anything since the railway authorities have already permitted them. During the past one year, I have not even come across a single TTE or RPF fellow pulling out these labour fellows from the sleeper coaches. Sorry, I have no details to provide you along with this complaint but the contents of this complaint are 100 per cent genuine and you may appoint anyone to enquire. All trains originating from Assam side to Chennai or Kerala, all trains to Mumbai side and from Hyderabad to New Delhi are victims of this menace.I was travelling by the Tirupathi-Puri express from Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam on 26th of last month. I purchased a general ticket and boarded one of the sleeper coaches. The TTE allotted me a berth in S4 coach and demanded Rs.250/-. I have asked for the Excess Fare Ticket which he did not give and went away. The next day morning he came and demanded Rs.200/- which I had to give without taking the EFT. The same way he has collected money from not less than 15 to 20 people thus putting the Indian Railways into heavy losses day by day. If the system of allowing the unreserved passengers to board the reserved coaches is not stopped immediately, very soon the public would be forced to take the law into their hands.

Railways