Now maths must to check PNR, ticket status

Siddarth Prabhakar

Chennai





Checking ticket availability, PNR status, and availability of trains between destinations and other basic information on the Indian Railways official website -indianrail.gov.in -has become tougher and more tedious since last week.This is because Indian Railways has introduced a new captcha (beta form) for every information requested on the website. Captcha is a computer program which is intended to distinguish a human from a machine.
Earlier, you had to reproduce in a box a combination of letters and figures. Now, you have to do either addition or subtraction to get the info you search on the website.
For instance, now you get questions like 544 68 = ? , or 899+ 70 = ?
If your answer is correct, congratulations, you will immediately know the PNR status or availability of tickets or whatever you are search ing for on the website. The website also demands a captcha for each transaction, instead of just one demanded on the IRCTC website.
If you are poor in mathematics, you will soon find yourself using the calculator on the computer or smartphone when you visit the Indian Railway website.
“This is an unnecessary move. Checking availability and train enquiry has become monotonous,“ said Giriraj Bissa, a train buff and railway statistician. “I hope railway officials revert to the earlier format.“