Aadhaar-linked IRCTC account holders to get priority in tatkal ticket booking? Railway Minister responds
During the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, 11 Rajya Sabha MPs — Maya Naroliya, Mithilesh Kumar, Dr. Dinesh Sharma, Mayank Kumar Nayak, Brij Lal, Kiran Choudhry, Dr. Sumer Singh Solanki, Narayana Koragappa, Ramilaben Becharbhai Bara, Baburam Nishad, and Rameswar Teli – raised queries with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding the ticket booking system.
The MPs sought clarification on whether Aadhaar-based authentication would be mandatory for Tatkal ticket bookings and whether passengers with Aadhaar-linked IRCTC accounts would receive booking priority. They also questioned how these measures would help curb misuse of Tatkal tickets by agents and touts.
Responding to this, on August 1, Vaishnaw said that tickets under Tatkal Scheme can be booked through the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/its app only by Aadhaar authenticated users. He added that the agents have been barred from booking tickets during first 30 minutes of ARP of Tatkal booking.
'Measures taken in this regard have improved ease of booking by reducing instant booking of tickets. The system has also been made more equitable by restricting multiple bookings using fake accounts.
Taking steps to ensure transparency in booking of Tatkal tickets based on feedback received on various platforms is a continuous and ongoing process,' the minister replies.
As per Indian Railways revised norms for Tatkal ticket booking, the restriction timing for AC Classes applies from 10:00 am to 10:30 am while for non-AC classes from 11 am to 11:30 am, for agents.
The Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised agents will require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.
Anish Mondal is a business journalist with over nine years of experience. He writes on diverse subjects such as Infrastructure, Railways, Roadways, Aviation, Politics, Market, Parliamentary affairs, Corporate earnings, General and International news etc. ... Read More
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