Indian Railways has made new rules for reservations in the emergency quota (EQ) to stop misusing ticket reservations. Their vision is to make it more transparent and useful to. According to the IRCTC’s altered strict rules, travel agents will no longer request EQ ticket reservations so that the system is kept open for real emergencies.

IRCTC’s altered strict rules on emergency ticket

With a nudge to speed up the process, the Railway Ministry requested all 17 railway zones to make stricter arrangements. The significant changes are explained.

Travel agents can’t EQ bookings – bookings can be done only by authorized staff members.

Official sanction required – Applications should be signed by a gazetted officer to determine genuineness.

Verification details to be attached with – Official officers are to provide their designation, phone number and passenger’s mobile number while re-routing requests.

Effective book-keeping – EQ requests to be documented, e.g. travel information and request source, for improved accountability.

Regular checks – Officials attend Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centres on a regular basis to monitor against unauthorized activities.

Enhancing equity and avoiding fraud

The new policy has been designed with the objective of curbing fraud and making EQ reservations accessible to individuals who genuinely need them. Through the application of proper verification, the system will minimize the occurrence of illegal bookings in addition to enhancing transparency.

Impact on passengers and ticketing agents

These reforms will institutionalize and legalize EQ bookings since they also limit the operation of visiting agents. This regulates emergency ticket booking. Travelers in need of EQ bookings will be forced to undergo formal verification processes, which will eliminate reliance on middlemen.

Indian Railways’ decision to institute stricter controls over booking emergency quota of tickets is an indication of its desire to be efficient and fair. Eliminating the third-party appeals and stringent checks, the railway system will only award priority tickets to individuals who really have emergencies, which will ensure travel becomes safer and responsible.

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