It is common for all of us to visit the railway station. It is also mandatory for us to buy a platform ticket for Rs 5. The cost is not a burden, but buying the platform ticket is a time-taking process. Many times, the staff at the ticket counters refuse to issue a platform ticket for want of exact change. Also, the current time limit of two hours on platform tickets is a hurdle. What if a train is delayed by more than two hours? One would have to buy another platform ticket then.
To overcome this hurdle, the railway authorities should issue a lifetime common platform ticket (CPT). This should be valid at all the railway stations, without a time limit. The CPT, which can be issued at a price of Rs 1,000, can be designed like our PAN card.
At the time of issuing a CPT, the applicant should provide a valid photo ID. One advantage of the CPT is that the authorities can easily ascertain the details of the passengers in case of a mishap. A CPT could help the passengers, especially at busy stations across the country.
Moreover, the government can generate some non-refundable income from issuing the CPT that can be used for maintaining railway stations.
Vedam Viswanath Bengaluru
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number
