By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, July 3 : The Indian Railways is exploring the possibility of reducing or waiving clerical charges it deducts while refunding the fare of a waitlisted ticket which does not get confirmed or gets cancelled.
The clerical charges or ‘clerkage’ deducted in the case of reserved AC and non-AC tickets is Rs 60 while for unreserved Second class tickets, it is Rs 30. The charge is levied on cancellation of all waitlisted tickets, including those cancelled, through the IRCTC website.
There was resentment among the rail users for the deduction of clerical charges despite not being able to make the train journey.
According to officials familiar with the latest move, initial discussion has started, and if the Railways takes the decision, it would come as a relief for passengers with waitlisted tickets as they face the double whammy of not getting confirmed and railways deducting clerkage while refunding fare.
The options are being weighed considering that the railways operational expenses for ticketing has reduced with more passengers booking tickets online in the recent years rather than from counters, they said.
IRCTC, ticketing and catering arm of the Railways, levies a convenience fee of Rs 30 for AC and Rs 15 for non-AC tickets. The entire clerkage revenue goes to the Railways as it is a functional expenditure for the system and it happens even if a ticket does not get confirmed, an official said.
In the event of cancellation of a waitlisted or reservation against cancellation ticket, clerkage, along with a convenience fee, is not refunded to passengers.
Last year, the Railway Ministry had told Lok Sabha that the revenue generated from all sources, including cancellation, forms part of the railways’ total receipts and are utilised for working expenses relating to maintenance and operations, and capital expenditure.
Meanwhile, the Railways is undertaking a series of steps to make ticket booking easier.
The new Passenger Reservation System is going to be capable of generating over 1.5 lakh rail tickets per minute, which is about five times the current capacity of 32,000 tickets in a minute, to be ready by year end.
Besides, in order to improve your travel uncertainty, the Railway Ministry is to soon implement advanced charting of waitlisted tickets. For trains departing before 2 pm, charts will be prepared by 9 pm the previous day, as per the new system.
The Railways has also widened the scope for Tatkal booking with broad-based authentication via Aadhaar or Govt ID Linked to DigiLocker for enhanced security and transparency.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently reviewed the progress of these reforms. He emphasized that the ticketing system should be smart, transparent, accessible, and efficient. Planning should focus on passenger convenience. The system must ensure a smooth and comfortable travel experience to our passengers. (NVI)
