Question : MENACE OF TOUTS

(a) whether the passengers travelling to Bihar on the occasion of Chhat Puja every year have to struggle hard due to unavailability to seats in the unreserved compartment, black marketing of railway tickets by touts in collusion with railway officials;

(b) if so, the details of the concrete steps to ensure easy rail travel to the passengers on Chhat Puja henceforth;

(c) whether the Railways spent enquire the connivance of railway officials and touts by independent agencies like CBI so that common man could have access to ticket and corruption can be rooted out; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI K.H. MUNIYAPPA)

(a): In order to ensure that passengers do not face hardship and to facilitate travel during festival rush, the Railways take various measures for providing additional accommodation during peak rush period including the Chhat Puja period, such as, augmentation of train services; running of special trains, frequent checks and monitoring of booking and reservation counters.

(b): The following steps are taken to ensure easy travel to the passengers during festive seasons including Chhat Puja:

i) For clearance of extra passenger traffic during peak seasons and festival period including Chhat Puja, special trains are run and extra coaches are attached keeping in view the pattern of traffic, operational feasibility and availability of resources.

ii) In order to curb the activities of touts and others anti-social elements in collusion with railway officials, regular and preventive checks are conducted in and around railway reservation/booking offices. Touts so apprehended are taken up as per provisions of law.

iii) Surveillance and monitoring at booking offices is stepped up during the peak rush periods.

(c) & (d): Regular joint drives by Commercial, Vigilance and Railway Protection Force are being conducted against touts indulging in unauthorized buying and selling of railway reservation tickets. The touts apprehended during such drives are prosecuted under the provision of Section 143 the Railways Act.