Revenue from tatkal bookings double in 9 years for railways

From over Rs 700 crore, the numbers have jumped to over Rs 1,450 crore, thanks to new schemes and measures launched.

Published: 07th August 2019 04:50 AM

By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Indian Railways has earned a whopping Rs 10,729 crore from tatkal booking charges in the last nine years. Railway documents accessed by Express showed that in 2011, the annual revenue from tatkal scheme was only Rs 729 crore. However, by 2019, it almost doubled, reaching Rs 1,459 crore mainly due to introduction of premium tatkal scheme and reserving more number of berths in AC coaches for tatkal in recent years.

The tatkal booking was introduced in 1997 in select trains with an objective of providing accommodation for last-minute travellers. It was extended across the country in 2004. An additional fare of 30 per cent of base fare is collected for tatkal tickets in sleeper coaches, three-tier AC, two-tier AC and AC chair car classes. The minimum additional fare is Rs 100 and maximum is Rs 500 in these classes. For second seating class, tatkal fare ranges from Rs 10 to Rs 15.




A close look at the revenue pattern revealed that the railways’ earnings increased gradually every year since 2009. However, it saw a steep rise in the financial year 2016-17. The earnings increased by 15 per cent in these years. The official sources attributed the higher earnings to increase in tatkal quota for air-conditioned classes and introduction of premium tatkal quota.

According to the Railway Board guidelines, about 30 per cent of the berths in sleeper class coaches are earmarked under tatkal quota. However, in AC classes, 15 to 20 berths are allowed for booking under tatkal quota as these classes have got limited number of coaches.

As the ticket demand continued to remain high in select stretches such as Delhi - Mumbai, Mumbai - Ahmedabad, Delhi - Howrah, Chennai - Howrah and Chennai - Tirunelveli, the railways launched premium tatkal quota system, under which 50 per cent of tatkal tickets (15 per cent of total tickets) are sold on dynamic pricing - which means ticket fares will go high as the demand increases.
The fares will increase by 20 per cent after every 10 per cent of berths are sold subject to the existing cap (maximum fare chargeable) on dynamic fare. Presently, Rs 955 is fixed as maximum premium fare for a sleeper class ticket up to 500 km.

Rail passengers want the premium tatkal scheme withdrawn, saying that it has made the train travel unaffordable for middle class passengers.

P Edward Jeni, general secretary of Kanniyakumari District Railway Users Association, said, “Instead of introducing more trains in highly congested sections, the railways extended premium tatkal quota to majority of superfast trains. Sometimes, train fares surpass the airfares during festival seasons. This quota should be withdrawn.”

Perambalur: Dry taps force patients at govt hospital to defecate in open

Patients at the Perambalur GH are forced to buy water as bore wells in the hospital have run dry. 

Published: 07th August 2019 05:34 AM 

 
 
Dry taps at Perambalur GH are giving a tough time to patients | Express

By P Thiruselvam

Express News Service

PERAMBALUR: Patients at the Perambalur GH are forced to buy water as bore wells in the hospital have run dry. At least 2,000 patients visit the super-speciality hospital every day. The situation is so worse that a few in-patients have been forced to relieve themselves in the open.

The hospital draws water from three borewells and an open well in the vicinity, but all of them have gone dry forcing the administration to buy water to meet critical requirements. But patients are in the lurch. “My son is in the hospital for the last three days. From the time we came here, there is an acute water shortage and many patients are defecating in the open. I am currently fetching water from outside, so my son need not walk out of the ward,” said A Saraswathi.

A few people said they were forced to buy water from nearby shops. “For the past four days, I have spent at least `90 to buy drinking water. My relatives purchased a pot to fetch water from a bakery nearby. I am spending `70 for my drinking water and Rs 20 for water for toilet,” said, K Manjunatha, a patient.


Such is the situation that a few patients and their relatives are worried whether the water they purchase is safe. “There is an outlet nearby which charges Rs 3 for a litre of water. We are purchasing at least 20 litres of water daily. Though we are providing the same to our sick relatives, we are scared whether the water is safe and hope it does not cause any further infections,” said D Meiyappan, a relative of a patient,

Perambalur Health JD (in-charge), K Elavarasan, said, “We are currently having a problem as the borewells have gone dry on the campus. The issue has been taken up with senior officials and action will be soon.”

No water to drink too

The hospital draws water from three borewells and an open well, but all of them have gone dry forcing the administration to buy water to meet critical requirements. A few people said they were forced to buy water. They are worried whether the water they purchase is safe.

Kerala will remember Sushma's role during rescuing nurses from IS There have been many instances when Sushma Swaraj personally intervened to save the lives of people facing trouble outside the country.
 
Published: 07th August 2019 05:55 AM 

 
 
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There have been many instances when Sushma Swaraj personally intervened to save the lives of people facing trouble outside the country. But in Kerala, her stellar role in the rescue of 46 women Malayalee nurses held captive by ISIS insurgents in Iraq after intense diplomatic efforts in July 2014, is still fresh in the minds of people.

According to the then spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Minister, who was on her way to Bhopal, cancelled her visit midway to return to Delhi and led the diplomatic efforts to rescue the nurses. Besides being in touch with her counterparts in all major Gulf countries, she also opened informal channels to reach out to ISIS and other warring groups in Iraq. Her efforts were lauded by the then Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was camping in New Delhi at the time of crisis.Filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan made a movie ‘Take Off’ to narrate the diplomatic victory and the evacuation of nurses.

Chief Minister mourns death

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan mourned the death of the former External Affairs Minister. Expressing deep sorrow, he said Sushma Swaraj was noted for her intervention in Parliament and diplomacy. Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the nation lost a good ruler, public worker and a parliamentarian. “Our friendship started when Sushma Swaraj and I were ministers of housing at Haryana and Kerala respectively in 1977. She had heard about the Chengalchoola housing project during its first phase and visited the state to see the model project,” said Chandy. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said he lost a sister who was always accessible whenever he visited Delhi.“When I became a minister, she was happy and gave advice. She had told me I could approach her for any doubts in the department,” said Muraleedharan.

Doctors tried for 70 minutes to revive Sushma Swaraj, but failed

She was rushed to AIIMS and admitted in the emergency ward, where she was under observation by a team of specialised doctors.

Published: 07th August 2019 08:02 AM 

 
The scene outside AIIMS after former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was admitted there following a heart attack on Tuesday evening | PTI 

By Somrita Ghose

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: It was around 9 pm on Tuesday night that senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj complained of uneasiness and chest pain. She was rushed to AIIMS in the national capital and reached there at 9.30 pm.

She was immediately admitted in the emergency ward, where she was under observation by a team of specialised doctors.

“The doctors tried their best to revive her condition for more than 70 minutes and all treatment measures were taken to get her out of the critical condition. However it did not work and she breathed her last at 10.50 pm,” said official spokesperson from AIIMS.

Swaraj’s body was released from AIIMS around 12.15 am and has been taken to her residence Dhawan Deep building in Janpath Road where she shifted last month. The BJP leaders informed that the body will be kept at the party headquarters on Wednesday to pay their respects.


Delhi loses 3 ex-CMs

With Swaraj's demise, Delhi lost three former chief ministers in less than a year. Swaraj, who was the chief minister of Delhi for a brief period in 1998, passed away on Tuesday night due to cardiac arrest. Three-time CM and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit passed away in July this year due to cardiac arrest. Madan Lal Khurana, who was chief minister from 1993-96, passed away in October last year.

‘Don’t pack toys and food together’ 

FSSAI issues advisory against practice

07/08/2019 , Afshan Yasmeen, Bengaluru

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an advisory asking all States and Union Territories to discourage the practice of packing of toys/gifts with food products for infants and small children as there are chances of contamination and risk of accidental ingestion.

It has become a common practice for manufacturers to attract sales by adding small toys/gifts inside food packets.

Several brands of chips and even chocolates come along with small toys/ gifts inside the packet. Some brands of chips packets even have tattoo stickers inside.

The advisory issued on July 22 by Shobhit Jain, FSSAI executive director (compliance division), said, “Considering the safety of public at large, there is a need to discourage food businesses from providing any toy or gift item inside the food packages, especially in case of food which is likely to be ingested directly by an infant or a small child. Such promotional free toys or gift items may be provided separately or packed separately.”

“Also, it is desirable that the colour, texture and nature of toy or gift item should not at all resemble the food product inside food package,” the advisory said.

As per Section 3(1) zz(xi) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 “unsafe food” means an article of food whose nature, substance or quality is so affected as to render it injurious to health by virtue of its being misbranded or sub-standard or food containing extraneous matter.

Quoting this provision under the Act, the advisory said: “Commissioner of Food Safety of all States/UT’s are requested to make efforts for generating awareness amongst all stakeholders to discourage the practice of packing of such toys/gifts with food products for infants and small children.” Karnataka Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey, who is also the Food Safety Commissioner, told The Hindu on Tuesday that Food Safety Officers in the State have been directed to ensure that the advisory is implemented effectively.

Bifurcation of Kashmir arbitrary: Opposition 

‘You have lost the confidence and trust of 1.5 crore people. History will not forgive you,’ says Anantnag MP
 
07/08/2019 , Special Correspondent , NEW DELHI 


 
Making a point: National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.PTI-

Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday questioned the Centre’s right to alter the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir without consulting stakeholders.

They were discussing the Bill that bifurcates the State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

“Today you have lost the confidence and trust of 1.5 crore people. The route that you have taken to bring in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 is an assault on the Constitution and neither history nor the people of Kashmir will forgive you for this,’’ said Hasnain Masoodi of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Party, representing Anantnag.

Earlier in the day, while the Opposition demanded to know where MP Farooq Abdullah was, DMK MP Murasoli Maran said: “An MP is missing and we would like to know from the Home Minister and the Speaker about his whereabouts?’’

Members also held placards demanding to know about Mr. Abdullah.

T.R. Baalu, DMK said: “We would like to know if the government has thought this through? With your majority you will get these Bills passed but what are you going to do about the security problems of the region and the porous borders? Clearly this is a move that is good for your party and not the people of this region.”

He said with the bifurcation the government has created two municipalities. “You have broken a State into Union Territories…who does that?’’ he asked.

Congress leader of the House Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary asked how the Jammu and Kashmir issue could be considered an internal matter when so far it had been considered a bilateral issue.

Home Minister Amit Shah responded stating that Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India and this cannot be legally disputed. He also added that Mr. Abdullah isn’t under house arrest or detained and is at home of his own free will. “According to Article 370(3), the President may, by public notification, alter Article 370, provided the Constituent Assembly of the State concurs. This provision has been utilised twice by the Congress,” said Mr. Shah.

Manish Tewari of the Congress said that it was Jawaharlal Nehru’s government which had protected Jammu and Kashmir when it was under attack from Pakistan.

“According to the Indian Constitution, before altering the boundaries of any State, concurrence of the Legislative Assembly of the State is mandatory. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana bifurcation was done with complete concurrence of the State Legislative Assembly by the UPA government. What happens to the separate Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir now?” he asked.

Speaking during the discussion, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said: “The process of consultation will be in shreds... You have changed the constitutional relationship of the people of J&K to India without consulting them. You have unleashed upon us the political equivalent of demonetisation.”

Kerala police question University College faculty
Probe on to trace the provenance of answer sheet leak

07/08/2019 , Special Correspondent , Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala police have recorded the statements of several members of the University College faculty as part of their investigation into the seizure of blank varsity answer sheets from Students Federation of India (SFI) leaders indicted for the near-fatal knife attack on a student, Akhil Chandran, on the campus last month.

A senior officer said here on Tuesday that the police were likely to press criminal charges once they zeroed in on the college authorities responsible for the answer paper leak. The police are attempting to find out whether any college insider had conspired with the SFI leaders and handed over the unused answer sheets to them instead of returning them to the Kerala University.

The police had questioned the current and former principals of the college and other teachers responsible for the safe custody of unused answer books.

A police raid on the house of prime suspect Shivarenjith, a campus leader of the SFI, had yielded 83 answer sheet bundles.

The police have sought the custody of Pranav, another SFI leader arrested for the attack on Akhil. They had found his admission number on several answer sheets recovered from a college room which the SFI had been using as its unit office.

BJP State president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai sought a CBI probe into the alleged malpractices in the PSC exams.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha State president K.P. Prakash Babu said his organisation would seek a CBI probe into all PSC recruitments in the past 10 years.

The scandal had shown the varsity in poor light and raised serious questions about the integrity of the examinations conducted on the SFI-dominated college campus.