Rail reservation staff on strike

The Indian Railways has announced that reservations for outstation trains would be done through the Internet as the reservation staff of Central and Western Railways on Monday morning went on a strike against the move to permit travel agents to reserve tickets.

The Railways is expected to suffer a loss of Rs 12.40 million daily if the strike continues. At least 40,000 people book outstation tickets daily from Mumbai alone. As of now, it is not clear how long the strike will continue.

"The strike is totally illegal. We have no staff to book the tickets now and the only means for people to book the tickets is to log on to our official website to book tickets," Western Railway Chief Public Relations Shailendra Kumar told rediff.com.

The site goes under the name of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking set up and fully owned by the Union Ministry of Railways.

The process of allowing passengers to book their tickets through travel agents has begun with permission being granted to three travel agents in Mumbai - Harisons Travel (situated in Kalbadevi), Meenakshi Tours & Travels (Vile Parle) and Mahavir Travels (Mumbai Central).

So far, only Harisons Travels is in a position to begin operations.

"The response is very enthusiastic. Many people have visited our office for booking their tickets," said an official at Harisons Travels.

Striking Railway officials are upset over the fact that the railway ministry did not bother to inform them about the plan.

"There has been no recruitment for the last two years. We have been seeking additional staff to improve efficiency, but the government is not bothered," said Western Railway Employees Union leader Virendra Shelat.

He dismissed any benefit to the customers. "They will have to shell out Rs 50 per ticket when they book through travel agents. When the Railways is providing this service for free, why should people pay private parties?" Shelat asked.

Defending the government's move, Kumar said, "Private parties are performing track maintenance and other work for the railways. No one protested then. So, why now?"

Work at all the 22 reservation offices in Mumbai and those at other places in the country had been affected. "Staff at Bhopal, Itarsi, Nagpur, Agra, Vadodara, Surat and Ratlam have shut down operations," said Western Railway Employees Union leader Virendra Shelat.

Employees owing allegiance to the Western Railway Employees Union, Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh, National Railway Mazdoor Union and Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh are supporting the strike.

The union leaders were expected to meet senior railway officials in New Delhi on Monday evening to resolve the issue.

"If the talks fail, our strike will be indefinite," Shelat said.