The East Coast Railway (ECoR) Vigilance Wing along with Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel has started conducting intensive joint checks at important stations like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur and Visakhapatnam against possible touting activities and other malpractices during peak Puja season. All important mass contact areas are being covered, keeping in view passenger convenience and possible loss of Railway revenue.
Railway sources said strict vigil is being kept on touts and unauthorised travel agents at railway reservation counters and misuse of e-ticketing facility. Round-the-clock monitoring is being done through CCTVs at important stations under ECoR. The vigilance team is also keeping a watch on booking of train tickets through IRCTC website using fake personal user IDs and attempts by touts to sell them for a premium.
The demands for tickets are at peak and such checks will be intensified in coming days to ensure the interest of the passengers. The ECoR has also appealed to the passengers to buy railway reservation tickets from PRS counters and authorised agents. Steps have been taken to make the public aware of streamlining of reservation system, the sources said.
Awareness is being created through seminars, banners and posters, street plays and drama, the sources added.
