Indian Railways: The End of the Black Marketing of Tatkal Ticket? Railway Minister Cracks Down on the System

Indian Railways: The struggle to book a Tatkal ticket is a familiar story for countless people. For years, this problem has persisted. The ticket counters open, and in a flash, everything is gone. By the time the website loads, all tickets have vanished. A major reason behind this issue is the large network of touts. To reduce the harassment faced by the common person and stop the dominance of these agents, Indian Railways has made a new decision. From now on, linking e-Aadhaar will be mandatory for booking Tatkal tickets.

What Is This New Rule?

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced that e-Aadhaar authentication will be introduced to make the Tatkal booking system more transparent. This will make it easier to verify the identity of the person booking the ticket. It is hoped that this measure will significantly curb the manipulations by touts.

How Will the General Public Benefit?

The implementation of this new rule is expected to greatly benefit ordinary passengers. Here are a few key advantages:

• Reduced Agent Activity: With mandatory Aadhaar linking, it will become difficult for touts to illegally book multiple tickets. This will increase the chances for genuine passengers to secure a ticket.
• Increased Transparency: The entire process will become more transparent. It will be easy to identify who is booking the ticket, which will significantly reduce black market activities.
• Easier Ticket Access: With less interference from touts, the general public will be able to book tickets more easily. The days of waiting in long queues or getting frustrated with the website may soon be over.

How Will This New System Work?

During Tatkal ticket booking on the IRCTC website, passengers will have to verify their identity using their Aadhaar number. Those with Aadhaar-linked accounts will be given priority in the first 10 minutes of the booking window. This ensures that genuine passengers get the first opportunity to book their tickets.

Railways’ Previous Initiatives

The Railway has already deactivated nearly 25 million suspicious user IDs and has another 200,000 accounts under surveillance. New users must wait three days before they can book tickets, a move intended to reduce the creation of fake IDs.

What Does the Future Hold?

It is hoped that the full implementation of this system will put an end to the long-standing complaints about Tatkal tickets. However, only time will tell how effective this new method will be. Passengers are now encouraged to link their Aadhaar with their IRCTC accounts to avoid any future issues.

This step is a significant move towards improving the services of Indian Railways. There is no doubt that it will bring considerable benefits to the common passenger.