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@Anand: Re# 119801-0
Citizen Charter
PREAMBLE
This Charter is a commitment of the Indian Railway Administration to:
1.Provides safe and dependable train services
2.Set...
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notified standards for various services wherever possible
3.Provide courteous and efficient counter services
4.Ensure adequate passenger amenities in train and at railway stations
5.Set up a responsive and effective grievance redressal machinery, at various levels for time bound resolution of complaints and grievances as far as possible.
RESERVATION
1.Provision of computerized reservation facilities at all stations with a workload of 300 reservation related transaction.
2.Opening of adequate number of counters to ensure reduced waiting time.
BOOKING
1.Opening of ticket booking counters with adequate working hours to facilitate issue of tickets to the public. The working hours will be clearly displayed at the counters
REFUNDS
1.As far as possible, refunds would be made across the counter, provided the ticket is surrendered within the specified time limit. Such refunds can be obtained at the coumputerised counters of any station provided it is linked with the ticket issuing station and the ticket is presented within the prescribed limit.
2.In case of failure of air-conditioning equipment, difference of fare between air-conditioned and non air-conditioned class of travel for the portion traveled without air-conditioning shall be refunded for which a Certificate may be obtained from Guard/TTE.
3.Station Masters of certain important stations/reservation offices have been granted special discretionary powers to grant refund on used tickets issued from their stations where refund is not admissible at the station due to expiry of the time limits prescribed in the rules. The list of stations, where this facility is available, is published in the respective Zonal Railway Timetable.
4.In case where refund is not permissible across the counter, the Railway Administration shall provide the passenger with a Ticket Deposit Receipt. Refund as admissible in such cases will ordinarily be settled within 90 days of the submission of the claim.
LOST, TORN OR MUTILATED TICKETS
1.No claim for refund is entertained by Indian Railways in case of lost or misplaced tickets.
2.Refund of fare will be granted in respect of a torn or mutilated ticket if the authenticity is verifiable on the basis of the particulars visible on the face of the ticket.
3.If the ticket is confirmed/RAC, the Railways may permit travel on the same reservation, on payment of charges fixedfrom time to time.
CONCESSIONS
Handy information pamphlets in local languages containing details of different types of concessions to which passengersare eligible and other relevant passenger information will be made available at Book Stalls and Railway Counters onpayment of nominal charges.
SPECIAL TRAINS
Information will be given in advance through media for special trains on special occasions
ENQUIRY AND INFORMATION
1.Railway Timetables provide information for tdifferent trains, computerized Interactive Voice Respose System is alsoavailable at important stations.
2.The position of running of trains will be updated regularly and announced on the Public Address System at important stations and also made available on telephone or personal enquiries.
CATERING
Indian Railways shall provide catering services through mobile and static units.
CLEANLINESS
Every effort shall be made to keep railway premises clean and hygienic with provision of safaiwalas. Pay and Use toiletsare also available at certain stations.
PASSENGER AMENITIES
Basic facilities like booking arrangements, wainting hall. Benches lighting, driking water, platform, urinals, shady treesshall be available at all the regular stations. On board a train, lighting and fans, cushioned berths, toilets, reservationcharts and destination board will be available. TTEs/Conductors, etc. shall also be available to attend to complaints/grievances.
PUBLIC GRIEVANCES
Railway Administration would ordinarily reply to the complainant within 90 days, where detailed enquiries are not required to be made and within 120 days, in case of complaints where detailed enquiries are warranted.
THEFT OF LUGGAGE
A Prescribed FIR Form is available in the Timetable or with TTEs/Guards or GRP escort. After filling it up, the Form may be handed over to one of the officials viz., TTE, Guard or GRP escort for registration of the report at the next Police Station.
CO-OPERATION FROM PASSENGERS
Co-operation of general public is sought to maintain cleanliness, avoid unnecessary chain pulling, maintain cordial relations with fellow passengers and railway staff coming into their contact, abstain from carrying inflammable items, discourage touts.

@Anand: Re# 119801-0
RAIL BUDGET 2011-12
No fare hike for passengers.
Presenting new trains for Vivekananda, Tagore birth.
Introduction of 3 new Shatabdis on Pune-Secunderabad; Jaipur- Agra and Ludhiana-Delhi routes.
Recruitment...
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of new staff of Group 'C' and 'D' to fill up backlog of SC/ST and 16, 000 ex-servicemen by March 2011. 20 hostels for children of railway employees.
Establishment of 1300 MW thermal power plant in AP.
Establishment 1320 MW thermal power plant in Agra.
Indian railways to invest 576.3 billion rupees for the financial year 2011-12.
Increased EMU coaches (from 9 to 12) of Mumbai suburban system
New coach factory to come up in Kolar via PPP Or JV.
Railway system to ensure more transparency.
9 new Duronto trains to be introduced;2 new double decker train services.
17 trains with increased frequency.
Gauge conversion expenditure to double.
Start up of 40 new routes covering 1075 km.
Increase in operation cost of Railways.
Concession for senior citizens increased to 40 percent, handicap in Rajdhani & Shatabdi express.
Introduction of 3 new Shatabdi trains in FY 12.
Scholarship scheme for low income group.
Introduction of trolleys at railway stations.
Railway liabilities increased due to 6th pay commission arrears.
Online ticket booking to get cheaper.
Revival phase for Indian Railway.
Upgrading 442 stations by March 31.
180 km of rail lines to be added in 2011-12.
Larger scheme for current railway employees.
Scholarship schemes for children of railway employees raised to Rs 1200.
Ticket booking charges reduced; Rs 10 for AC and Rs 5 for non AC.
Railways introducing 16000 ex-servicemen from March 2011.
New passenger terminals in Kerala.
User friendly stations for physically challenged.
'Go India' smart card for buying long distance travel tickets on pilot basis.
Mamta : Green energy, green year, green environment with railways.
Railways to collaborate with major technology and IT institutes for new technology upgradation in railways.
Special package for states running problem free railways; provide 2 new trains for good performance.
Anti-collusion device for three railway zones to minimize rail accidents.
Increased number of trains-from 16100 to 18000.
Railways to provide 10000 shelter to poor.
57, 630 crore investment plan this year.
New railway lines to emphasize on under developed areas.
New railway lines in Manipur.
Pradhan Mantri Railway Vikas Yojna with new projects
700 mw captive gas power plant to be introduced for railways
Pilot projects in suburban region.
700km expansion of railway line.
Railway factory to be set up in Jammu & Kashmir, Metro coaches factory in Singur.
The first Rae Bareilley coach to start in next three months.
Set up new railway at Bongaigaon.
A vision of railway based industries by 2020.
The budget to give common mans face.
Equal focus on common mans need and economy.
Mamta:Ministry is aware of the social responsibilities.
Railway services equivalent to emergency services.
Mamata Banerjee presents Rail Budget 2011-12 in Lok Sabha.
As per sources, out of 40 pet projects of Mamta Banerjee which she is supposed to announce in the budget, 14 have been accepted by the commission.
Nitish Kumar demands the railway minister to introduce a high speed Duranto Express between Bihar and New Delhi.
Address the staff shortage issue;Recruitment of new railway staff.
Investors to benefit from rail stocks.
More RPF personnel recruitment for security.
Nominal Tatkal rates.
Tax free bonds to be increased to 10, 000 crore to improve railway infrastructure.
CPI-M; No hopes from railway budget.
Introduction of SMS service to lodge complaints.
TPWS and ACD to be installed.
Revised incentives to maximize private participation.
More transport system between Secunderabad and Hyderabad.
86 new passenger trains expected.
Super class division to challenge airlines.
For the North Eastern region; a brand new diesel loco shed is expected to come up in Assam.
Likely to add more Duronto services from Guwahati to New Delhi and Howrah.
Railway Budget 2011 to be presented at 12 noon.
The budget unlikely to favor the expected budget of 39, 600 crore.
Might add 100 new trains.
For political reasons; West Bengal likely to get more benefits of new trains.
New projects to create more employment which will again be beneficial for the coming election.
Safety concern to be addressed; proposed for technology up gradation.
Fare to remain the same to remove common mans financial burden.
Mamata Banerjee has reached Parliament.
Mamata says: Railway budget will be devoted to the common man.

@Anand: Re# 119801-0
Facility to handicapped Persons for Train Reservation
i) Separate counters are earmarked at various Passenger Reservation System(PRS) centres
for dealing with the reservation requisitions received from Physically handicapped
persons, Senior Citizens, Ex....
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MPs, MLAs, accredited journalists and freedom fighters, if
the average demand per shift not less than 120 tickets. ln case there is no justification for
earmarking of an exclusive counter for any of these categories of persons including
handicapped persons, one or two counters depending upon the total demand are
earmarked for dealing with the reservation requests for all these categories of persons.
ii) A reservation quota of two sleeper class berths has been earmarked in all trains running
on non-suburban sections for handicapped persons performing their journey on
handicapped concessional ticket. The person accompanying the handicapped person as
escort is also allotted the berth out of this quota.
iii) In sub-urban trains, separate accommodation for handicapped persons has been
earmarked.
iv) The Following instructions have been issued for convenience of handicapped persons>
(a) Instructions have been issued that on trains where SLRD coaches have been
provided in the trains' composition, the SLRD may be defined in the PRS system for booking
of berths by handicapped persons and their escort travelling on handicapped concessional
ticket. In these trains the existing handicapped quota of two sleeper class berths (lower berth
for handicapped person and upper berth for their escort shall be withdrawn and merged with
the general reservation quota.
(b) Instructions also exist that in the tickets issued through Computerized Passenger
Reservation System, to extent feasible, one lower berth should be allotted to the handicapped
person and the person accompanying the handicapped person as escort should be allotted
middle/upper berths near the handicapped person subject to availability of accommodation.
(c) After departure of the train, if there are vacant lower berths avai lable in the train,
and if any physically handicapped person booked on the authority of handicapped
concessional ticket, who has been allotted upper/middle berth, approaches for allotment of
vacant lower berths, the Conductor/Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) has been authorized to allot
the vacant lower berth to them making necessary entries in the chart.
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517120 I 0 RTI/Brief - 2008 128-2--
2. Additional Facility
(a) For the convenience of the physically challenged persons, facilities like Wheel Chairs have been
provided at all important stations on the Indian Railways.
(b) In allotment of STD/PCO booths operated from the Railway Stations, 25% booths have been
reserved for physically handicapped persons(including blind disability 40% and above).
3. CONCESSION IN FARES
(i) As per Railway rules, concession in fares is admissible to four categories of disabled persons, and
that too in extreme cases. The names of these four categories, and the element concession
admissible, are as under:-
ELEMENT OF CONCESSION
CATEGORY OF PERSONS
SINGLE JOURNEY TICKETS
SEASON TICKETS
I CLASS II CLASS
I. Orthopedically 75% in Second, Sleeper, First, AC
Handicapped/Paraplegic Chair Car & AC 3-tier and 50% in AC
50% 50%
persons who cannot travel 2-tier and AC First Classes
without an escort.
2. Mentally retarded persons 75% in Second, Sleeper, First, AC
who cannot travel without Chair Car & AC 3-tier and 50% in AC 50% 50%
an escort. 2-tier and AC First Classes
,...
-'. Completely Blind persons 75% in Second, Sleeper, First, AC
travelling alone or with Chair Car & AC 3-tier and 50% in AC 50% 50%
an escort. 2-tier and AC First Classes
4. Totally Deaf & Dumb 50% in Second, Sleeper, First Classes
persons (both afflictions
together in the same 50% 50%
person) travelling alone
or with an escort.