(a) whether the railway tickets are black-marketed through a large network of
agents in festival seasons every year;
(b) if so, whether the Railways propose to review the measures taken by them,
as the existing steps have not been able to curb black-marketing of Railway tickets;
and
(c) if so, the details thereof
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS(K.H. MUNIYAPPA)
(a): Some cases of black-marketing of tickets do come to notice.
(b) & (c): Review of preventive measures is a continuous on-going process.Regular
checks are conducted in and around railway reservation offices to curb the illegal
activities of touts and other anti-social elements.This surveillance is stepped up
during festival seasons.Touts so apprehended are taken up under the provisions of
law. During the current year 2009-10 (upto October, 09), 1483 touts were apprehended
and prosecuted.In addition, the traveling public is educated through various media
to desist from procuring tickets from unauthorized persons.In order to bridge the
gap between demand and supply of reserved accommodation in trains, new trains and
special trains are run and the carrying capacity of the existing trains augmented.
To facilitate easier booking of accommodation, reservation can now be done through
internet, e-ticketing, post offices, petrol pumps, etc.