KOCHI: The Indian Railways (IR) has introduced a paperless mode of ticket vending, by which vital details regarding reservation will be sent to a customer via SMS. The latest option that was launched on February 1, by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Department (IRCTC) has become a hit among y
oung Keralites.
The SMS sent by the IRCTC will contain all important ticket details like PNR number, train number, date of journey, class, name and number of passengers, coach and seat number and the fare paid. The SMS, combined with a valid photo identity card in original, will be treated on par with the electronic reservation slip ( ERS).
If the passenger is unable to produce the SMS in case of loss or discharged mobile or laptop, he can continue with the journey after showing proof of identity and paying a penalty of Rs 50 a ticket.
A senior IRCTC official of the south regional office told TOI that the SMS facility is a 'green initiative' by the Railways. "With our website registering nearly 9 million visitors in 2011, it is unimaginable the amount of paper wasted as printouts. Through the SMS facility we expect to pave way for an environment friendly approach and reduce paper usage," the official said.
Edwin Thomas, an HR professional in the UAE Exchange in the city, is excited about the new option. "Some months ago when the Railways allowed treating the screenshot of an e-ticket, displayed through laptops, palmtops or mobile phones as equal to the print-out of the ticket, I stopped carrying printed tickets. The new option has taken it a step further and I believe that the definition of 'e-ticket' is complete now," he said. Santhosh Iype, a PGDM student of SCMS, Kochi, believes that the initiative will help reduce the usage of paper while booking e-tickets.
However despite the wide recognition of SMS facility among youths, senior citizens like Sankar Menon, a former state government employee, prefer to wait in queue and get printed tickets. "I am also tech savvy, but previous experiences have taught me that IRCTC's e-services are not reliable. It is a common phenomenon for the website to hang just when we book tickets. It is too early to say that the SMS option will be hassle-free and so for the time being I prefer the good old paper method," he said.
The SMS will contain ticket details like PNR number, train number, date of journey, class, name, number of passengers, seat number and the fare paid. This combined with an original valid photo ID, will be treated on par with the electronic reservation slip.
