click here
Feb 07 2015 : The Times of India (Chennai)
Commuters forced to buy higher-priced tickets block trains
Chennai:
...
more...
Train services on the Tiruvallur-Chennai section were disrupted on Friday after commuters protested at the Hindu College station because counter staff forced them to buy Rs 10 tickets, instead of ` `5 tickets, due to shortage of tickets.
A suburban train was blocked at 9.40am. It took a few hours for services to normalise. Ticket counters at some stations on the route are managed by private individuals supplied card-type tickets from Trichy.
Around 9am, more than 100 commuters staged a sitin before a ticket counter demanding that sale be stopped till tickets were stocked up.
Around 9.40am, when there was no response from railway officers, they blocked trains. The agitation ended after officials brought tickets from Pattabhiram. “We protested after staff said they would get stock from Trichy only after a week. We need not be made to pay for their inefficiency,” said M Rajendran, a protester.
More than 1,000 ` `5 tickets are sold at Hindu College station during peak hours daily.
T Sadagopan, a frequent commuter, said private firms or individuals operating ticket counters at a few suburban stations had problems getting tickets on time.
Commuters have demanded that the railways link these stations to its ticketing network. Railways outsourced issuing of tickets after finding it unviable to post staff at some stations.
