Question : BLACK MARKETING OF RAILWAY TICKETS

(a) whether the Government are aware that the railway passengers are facing lot of difficulties in getting railway tickets due to connivance between touts and railway officers involved in the black-marketing of railway tickets;

(b) if so, the number of raids conducted in each zone during the last three years alongwith the action taken against the persons found guilty in this regard;

(c) whether the Government propose to amend the present provisions in order to check the practice of illegal reservations; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI O. RAJAGOPAL)

(a): No, Sir. However, some incidents have come to the notice from time to time.

(b): The number of raids conducted against touts in each Zonal Railway during the last three years i.e. 1999, 2000 & 2001 is as under:-

Railway	Number of raids conducted
1999	2000	2001
Central	3360	2729	3333
Eastern	2071	2573	2738
Northern	1321	1626	1821
North Eastern	2735	3230	3676
Northeast Frontier	946	1082	1696
Southern	8821	8971	8912
South Central	4743	3999	3571
South Eastern	1748	1695	1542
Western	6504	6485	6527
Total	32249	32390	33816