(a) whether any manual has been prepared for Headquarter/High ranking official quota by the Railways and if so, the details thereof; and
(b) the guidelines issued regarding approval of letter of request sent by the Members of Parliament in respect of headquarter/High ranking official quota?
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) & (b): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2320 BY SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 16.03.2022 REGARDING HIGH RANKING OFFICAL QUOTA.
(a): Guidelines are issued by Ministry of Railways from time to time stipulating the procedure to be followed for release of accommodation out of Emergency Quota.
(b): With a view to meeting the urgent travel requirements of HOR (High Official Requisition) holders (which includes Central/State Government Ministers, Judges of Supreme Court of India & High Courts of various States) and MPs/VIPs, a limited accommodation has been earmarked as Emergency Quota (EQ) in different trains and in different classes. This quota is released in accordance with the priority as per Table of Precedence and well-established practice being followed since long. At the time of allotment of berths in this quota, preference is given for self-travel of high dignitaries including Members of Parliament. Thereafter, other requisitions received from various quarters are considered and the remaining quota is released taking into account the factors like nature of urgency like travelling on Government duty, bereavement in the family, sickness, job interview, etc. While the requests forwarded by MPs (for other than self-travel) are generally complied with, at times, it is not feasible to accommodate all such requests when the demand exceeds the availability particularly during the rush periods.
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