E-Paper
Platform ticket now ₹40 at Tata, ₹30 in Ranchi, Bokaro, Rourkela to stop corona spread
The South-Eastern Railway (SER) on Wednesday enacted four-tier tariff structure effecting doubling to five-time hike in the rate of platform tickets at railway stations
The South-Eastern Railway (SER) on Wednesday enacted four-tier tariff structure effecting doubling to five-time hike in the rate of platform tickets at railway stations under its jurisdiction to control and reduce overcrowding in stations in view of threat of coronavirus spread, a railway official said on Wednesday.
Under the new rate chart, people in Tatanagar and Khargapur will have to pay ₹40 for platform tickets against latest rate of ₹10. Similarly, people in Ranchi, Hatia, Bokaro, Jharsugda and Rourkea will have to fork out ₹30 per platform ticket, while the rate will be ₹20 in stations like Chakadharpur and Ghatsila.
“We have revised the rate of platform tickets as per railway board’s directive and categorised it as per the class-gradation of the stations. The hike varies between ₹10 to ₹40 depending upon the grade of the stations under SER. This has been done to arrest spread of coronavirus and prevent unnecessary overcrowding at platforms. Social distancing is now the key to arrest further spread of the deadly pandemic,” said Manish Kumar Pathak, senior divisional commercial manager (Sr DCM), Chakradharpur division of SER.
The SER headquarters on Tuesday night had issued a rate chart hiking the charge of platform tickets at major stations to ₹50. Chakradharpur division, however, sent a fresh station-wise rate hike proposal approved by the DRM to the railway board through SER general manager on Wednesday.
Now platform tickets will cost ₹50 at only Howrah station (new complex) in West Bengal under SER, while ₹30 will be charged at Santragachi, Shalimar, Mecheda, Ranchi, Hatia, Balasore, Jharsugda, Rourkela and Bokaro steel city and ₹20 at Panskura, Bagnan, Midnapur, Jhargram, Chakradharpur, Adra, Bankura, Bishnupur, Purulia, Digha, Jaleswar and Ghatsila stations under SER.
Chakradharpur divison of SER, the most revenue earning division, has also started feeling the adverse impact of coronavirus outbreak with 75,155 passengers cancelling railway reserved tickets worth ₹3.94 crore between March 1 and March 16. On March 16, 9,065 passengers had cancelled reserved train tickets worth ₹45.36 lakh, 5,872 passengers cancelled tickets of ₹31.40 lakh on March 15, 8,458 passengers cancelled tickets of ₹41.15 lakh on March 14 and 6,441 passengers cancelled train tickets worth ₹34.30 lakh under Chakradharpur division.
As per railway estimate, about 62,000 passengers travel through Chakradharpur division on a daily basis. “Such is the panic that people who had reserved their tickets in advance are now cancelling tickets fearing corona. Strangely, people are now even afraid of going to places within the country. There is no reason to panic but the need is to take precaution and maintain social distancing,” said Pathak.
SER has cancelled about nine express trains, including Howrah-Mumbai Duranto Express, Tata-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Antyodyay, Tata-Ranchi-Tata Express, Rourrkela-Barbil Express and Tata-Bilaspur passenger and Tata-Chakulia passenger trains owing to low occupancy over fear of contracting coronavirus.
