Pakistan Railways has appeared feckless to cope with the menace of black-marketing of tickets of passenger trains despite introduction of e-ticketing system. During a visit to the Karachi Cantonment Station, this correspondent observed that, in connivance with police officials, many people were busy in black-marketing of railway tickets, minutes before the departure Allama Iqbal Express, a Sialkot-bound-train at around 2pm.
A policeman possessing some tickets was also seen approaching an elderly man and asking "where are you going" and after a brief chat, he took the passenger inside the train bogie.
There were four to five middlemen; all were tasked by that police official to bring passengers to buy tickets, illegally. On the other hand, dozens of passengers including women and children were seen standing in long queues outside the reservation counters to get tickets but most of them were complaining about misbehaviour of reservation staff.
"I am going to Rawalpindi, but the officials are sending me from one counter to another instead of giving me tickets," said Muhammad Sajid who needed some five tickets for travelling on January 8.
One of those who were illegally selling tickets also asked this scribe how many tickets I needed. "If you are going to Sialkot right now, buy a ticket from the police guard," he advised, informing that and others were assisting the police officials in the sale of tickets and get some Rs 50 as reward for each passenger from them. The middleman said that if you go to the reservation office for ticket, you would have to run from pillar to post and finally you would not get one.
"Black-marketing of tickets has become routine. The SHO Railways of concerned police station and other senior officers are minting money through sale of tickets at exorbitant prices, illegally," said a porter, adding that he had been working at the same station for the last 25 years. He said that a ticket amounting rupees 1200 is being sold at Rs 1800 by said mafia.
"The PR has already introduced e-ticketing to improve the reservation process to discourage the illegal sell, but the black sheep within the PR reservation offices and in police are trying to fail the e-ticketing system," said an official who wished not to be named.
When contacted, PR's Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO) Ishaq Baloch said that PR has enforced zero tolerance policy against black-ticketing. He said he personally visits various stations in his jurisdiction to review the overall situation now and then. He said he received no complaint, in this connection.
"We take stern action against train passengers travelling without tickets," Baloch said, adding that raids are also conducted time and again to have a check over such illicit activities.