New Delhi: Indian Railways announced a fare hike for platform tickets at key railway stations with an aim to "prevent overcrowding" amid the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic across the nation.
The platform ticket price has been increased from 3 to 5 times at various stations. At some stations, the ticket fare has been increased to Rs 30 from Rs 10, while in some of the key stations of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the platform ticket would now cost Rs 50. This decision was taken by Railway divisions.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Railways, it has been stated, "Regulation and controlling of crowd at stations is the responsibility of Divisional Railway Manager (DRM)s. It is a temporary measure and field activity undertaken by the railway administration in the interest of the safety of passengers and to prevent overcrowding at stations."
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It further added, "Deterring more persons to visit station, the platform ticket charges are increased from time to time after assessing ground situation. The power to change charges of platform tickets has been delegated to DRMs due to field management requirement."
In 2015, the Ministry of Railways delegated the power to increase the rate of platform tickets beyond Rs 10 to the Divisional Railway Managers, to regulate rush at platforms during specific requirements.
"This is in practice for many years and is used occasionally as a short term crowd control measure. There is nothing new about it," said a Railway Ministry official.
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The move comes after the Ministry of Railways increased the ticket fares of short-distance passenger trains in February, saying that the "slightly high fares" are only to discourage unnecessary travel. However, the move had faced a lot of criticism for adding burden on the passengers amid the economic crisis due to COVID-19.
When asked about the matter, Ministry of Railways Executive Director RD Bajpai said to ETV Bharat, "This decision has been taken by the local division based on the regulatory requirement of that station whether they want to restrict people from coming to platforms. This is not at all a source of earning for us. It is very important to decongest the station, to check the entry of people due to social distancing norms."
The Railway official has also clarified that it is a temporary scheme and divisions will restore it back after some time.
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