We, the general people love to travel by train as it is safe, comfortable and affordable too. But, they always express their dissatisfaction as they have to struggle for securing train tickets from the counters.
Even the passengers are harassed and humiliated in getting train tickets as a section of railway officials and employees are running a syndicate of black marketers in selling tickets. The railway ministry has introduced online ticket booking system to reduce the sufferings of passengers.
The authorities also asked the people to use their national ID cards or birth certificates in buying train tickets from the counters. Therefore, a person is not allowed to board a train if he/she purchases a ticket using information from other’s national ID or birth certificate.
Officials and employees are running a
syndicate of black marketers
in selling
tickets
The government has taken this step to stop sale of tickets in the black market. We hoped that the introduction of online ticket sale and new rules would end the black market sales of train tickets.
However, selling of train tickets in the black market still continues. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in separate drives recently arrested two kingpins and 13 members of black market syndicate from different areas of the capital. Around 1,244 train tickets for travel on different routes, 14 mobile phones, and Tk 20,000 in cash were seized from them.
They had long been engaged in black marketing at Kamalapur Railway Station and Airport Railway Station. They used to collect tickets of different trains from the railway server and counters with the help of corrupt employees. The gang members used to take 50 percent of the money they got from the passengers while the other 50 percent went to the corrupt railway employees’ pocket. Currently, at least three lakh people travel by train every day in the country. The recent hike in bus fare has also led people to choose train as their mode of transport as train fair is still lower than that of passenger buses. But many passengers fail to get tickets from either online or offline, compelling them to collect tickets from the black market at much higher price.
Besides, many passengers also complained that though they do not get tickets at the ticket counters, they can buy it from different shops near the stations. The government must go tough on railway corrupt officials and employees and give them exemplary punishment whoever they are.
