VIP Quota and Culture - Additional Inputs
Dear Railway Circle Members:
Below are the Issues, Root Causes and Solutions as identified by you for addressing VIP Quota and Culture in Indian Railways.
Please review them and if you have any additional inputs, kindly submit your views. While submitting your view, please highlight if you are suggesting an Issue, Root Cause or a Solution as a prefix to your comments.
We will soon be compiling a whitepaper to be presented to the Railway Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu.
We look forward to your participation!
Ministry of Railways
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VIP Quota and Culture in Railways (Issues, Root Causes, Solutions)
Solutions Identified:
1. VIP quota should be reduced
2. Authorities should make sure that the VIP quota seats are not sold in black market
3. VIP quota seats should be opened to general public after a specific time
4. The time table of the trains should not be changed to accommodate VIPs
5. Usage of the VIP quota should be limited to a certain number of times every year
6. VIP tickets should be only for the VIP and not for their family or friends
7. Records should be maintained of which VIP is using how many seats and how many times
8. VIP tickets should be issued only for official journeys
9. VIPs are to be treated as any other citizen in a train
10. People found misusing this privilege should be debarred from it for life
11. TTEs caught selling seats should be suspended
12. The nexus between the agents and railway officials should be broken
Root Causes identified:
1. 1. It is very easy for TTEs and officials to sell the VIP quota seats to general passengers and make money
2. There is a nexus between the agents and the railway officials
3. Railway officials misuse their authority to offer free seats to friends and family
4. VIPs user their influence and power to keep the train waiting in case they need to board
5. As per the Indian mind set, VIPs are considered above the general public
6. Lack of awareness among the general public
7. There is no stated definition of a VIP
8. Absence of a discreet report showing what percentage of VIP quota seats were availed in the last years
9. There is a large gap between the demand and availability of seats
Issues identified:
1. 1. VIP quota seats are a large source of corruption
2. VIP quota seats get openly sold in different places
3. Trains are delayed to accommodate the VIP arrival
4. Coaches’ gets reshuffled for the ease of the VIP. This creates inconvenience to all the passengers
5. These people use their free travel privileges even after retirement
6. The numbers falling under the VIP quota is huge which means a large number of general public is barred from getting seats
7. VIPs travel with a lot of fanfare/security which causes big botheration to general public
8. TTEs offer these seats to travellers after taking money
9. VIP quota seat eventually get used by railway staff’s relatives more
Below are the Issues, Root Causes and Solutions as identified by you for addressing VIP Quota and Culture in Indian Railways.
Please review them and if you have any additional inputs, kindly submit your views. While submitting your view, please highlight if you are suggesting an Issue, Root Cause or a Solution as a prefix to your comments.
We will soon be compiling a whitepaper to be presented to the Railway Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu.
We look forward to your participation!
Ministry of Railways
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIP Quota and Culture in Railways (Issues, Root Causes, Solutions)
Solutions Identified:
1. VIP quota should be reduced
2. Authorities should make sure that the VIP quota seats are not sold in black market
3. VIP quota seats should be opened to general public after a specific time
4. The time table of the trains should not be changed to accommodate VIPs
5. Usage of the VIP quota should be limited to a certain number of times every year
6. VIP tickets should be only for the VIP and not for their family or friends
7. Records should be maintained of which VIP is using how many seats and how many times
8. VIP tickets should be issued only for official journeys
9. VIPs are to be treated as any other citizen in a train
10. People found misusing this privilege should be debarred from it for life
11. TTEs caught selling seats should be suspended
12. The nexus between the agents and railway officials should be broken
Root Causes identified:
1. 1. It is very easy for TTEs and officials to sell the VIP quota seats to general passengers and make money
2. There is a nexus between the agents and the railway officials
3. Railway officials misuse their authority to offer free seats to friends and family
4. VIPs user their influence and power to keep the train waiting in case they need to board
5. As per the Indian mind set, VIPs are considered above the general public
6. Lack of awareness among the general public
7. There is no stated definition of a VIP
8. Absence of a discreet report showing what percentage of VIP quota seats were availed in the last years
9. There is a large gap between the demand and availability of seats
Issues identified:
1. 1. VIP quota seats are a large source of corruption
2. VIP quota seats get openly sold in different places
3. Trains are delayed to accommodate the VIP arrival
4. Coaches’ gets reshuffled for the ease of the VIP. This creates inconvenience to all the passengers
5. These people use their free travel privileges even after retirement
6. The numbers falling under the VIP quota is huge which means a large number of general public is barred from getting seats
7. VIPs travel with a lot of fanfare/security which causes big botheration to general public
8. TTEs offer these seats to travellers after taking money
9. VIP quota seat eventually get used by railway staff’s relatives more
Viewed by 7520
View all 348 comments Below 348 comments
The quota for VIP or headquarter quot should continue. The person who is having more responsibility is coming under VIP. They have to travel themselves and they have to make traveling arrangement to the people who are supporting them to handle their responsibilities. People are suffering tremendously due to the non availability of accommodation. This is not because of VIP quota and things will not improve by stopping VIP quota. Try to make a clear statistical season wise report regarding the number of commuters in each and every route and make arrangement to put more trains accordingly. All other remedies will become like covering the infected wound with a high quality silk cloth. And definitely something should be done for allotting the un-availed VIP quota to the right person only. more
Aug 23
Solution: the train ticket booking is to be made transparent, like in the bus ticket booking sites the seats available with seat number is shown at the time of booking, the same way the train seats available with berth, seat number to be shown, and option to select a seat to be given to customer. This is a major step where blinding if removed will help to know the actual status of seats. And prevent the black market who have access to this info. more
Jun 17
The provision to transfer tkt one day prior is used unjudiciously - not for genuine traveller more
Jun 17
Who are VIPs ? All must be treated equally. There should not be any quota for the so called VIPs. Why we need quota, as we have Tatkal facility. They must book their tickets in Tatakal if they need the tickets in urgent. Otherwise, they can plan their visit (I hope they are doing so) and book the tickets as we all do. These Quota tickets are always used for selling in black. I am completely against these quota tickets. If you want to facilitate the railway employees by giving them some quota tickets, please give them some concession (as for the senior citizen) and let them book the tickets as we all do. more
Jun 14
Suggestion: This is important issue and should be fixed appropriately. 1. The VIP quota should be released to waiting list and/or tatkal waiting list at a prespecified time. 2. Who is VIP and why? Is there an time-frame for status? This should be clearly specified in new plans around this. 2. System to ensure that VIP status verification is made fool proof. (I had known someone who said that he was a senior minister of a state and got ticket, with no id checks). more
Jun 14
