Soon, differently abled people can book rail tickets online at concessional fares that they are entitled to. At present, differently abled people have to go to railway reservation counters to book tickets if they want to avail the fare concession given by railways.
“The railway board is ready with the plan to facilitate online ticket booking for its special passengers,” a senior official said.
The plan is to issue identity cards with
specific numbers to each differently abled person which will be built
into the computerized passenger reservation system (PRS) across the
country. “This will ensure that differently abled persons can avail fare concession even while booking ticketsonline,” the official said.
Under
the proposal, the board plans to set up specific offices in zones and
divisions where differently abled people can get their fare concession
card made after producing a medical certificate.
Physically
challenged people get fare concessions, have special reservation
counters at railway stations and even special coaches on trains but
cannot avail fare concessions while booking an e-ticket. They can book
full fare ticketsthrough the internet.
The
move came after railway board received several complaints from
differently abled passengers and social activists. The issue was also
raised with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the
PSU handling online ticketing operations.
The
railways’ argument was that in purchase of concessional tickets, the
physical document needed to be verified at the time of booking before
extending the concession.
However, the railway board realized that e-ticket booking facility was
much more essential for physically challenged persons than other
passengers. Under the plan, the physical verification of the document
will be done at the time of issuing identity card, an official said.
