Some passengers use fake letterheads to avail emergency quota: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday informed the Rajya Sabha that there have been cases where passengers tried to secure accommodation under the emergency quota using fake authority letters purporting to be from high dignitaries and railway officials. He made this statement in response to inquiries from Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan about the misuse of the emergency quota by touts. «Some instances of attempts to get accommodation released out of emergency quota on the authority of fake letter heads of high dignitaries and some railway officers have come to notice,» Vaishnaw said in his written reply.
«With a view to prevent malpractices and to confirm genuineness of requests, checks are conducted from time to time. Also, instructions are issued at regular intervals to prevent unscrupulous elements from misusing the system,» he added.
According to the railway minister, approximately 36 per cent of the berths or seats earmarked under emergency quota were utilised on an average during the financial year 2023-24.
«However, since a large number of requests are received from various quarters and are dealt with on a day-to-day basis, details of requests received for release of accommodation out of emergency quota are only preserved as per extant guidelines,» he said.
YSR Congress Party MP Beeda Masthan Rao Yadav also raised questions regarding emergency quota and wanted to know the details of guidelines for availing this quota for confirmation of tickets in Railways.
Besides, Yadav also wanted to know
