So How's Indian Railway treating their Customers? Or Should I say how badly are they treating Travellers...
Here's a crumble...
Aug 14: Four Guys started from Chennai to Kerala. Its Rush Hour coz the next day is Independence Day and they didnt get their tickets confirmed and was on waiting list 33. As usual an idiot at the Railway Dept told them to get into the reservation compartments in the train and bribe the TTE to atleast get seats...and so they started their journey at about 7.30 PM in the 6201 Mangalore Mail standing in the reservation compartment expecting to see the TTE and bribe him to get the seats. These guys were going to their Native place after a long time as the company they worked didnt hav much holidays.
At about 9 PM the TTE came and didnt ask the guys anythn who wer standing near the toilets to see the TTE personally to ask for the Seats. This was a short, plump, bespectacled and sporting the ugliest beard of all time...He didnt ask them their tickets..instead he just began shouting that whoever hasnt got confirmed seats should get into general compartment at the next station. The Guys jus waited there wo see the TTE when nobody was around. But they couldnt as they didnt see the TTE after that...so they jus stood there..expectin to see him
At about 11 the train reached Kaattpaatti Junction and when the train was about to leave...this TTE came barging in asked for tickets..the guys showed them tickets but she wouldnt budge to hear another word and pushed eveybody out and threw the luggage out and the last guy was beaten in the back and was kicked out...WHILE THE TRAIN WAS ON THE RUN!!!!
Yeah...OK...its illegal to enter into a reserved compartment without a confirmed ticket but its also illegal to kick passengers out of a moving train..think of the dangers!! The Train was picking up speed and the guys tried to get inside the general compartment which was filled beyong limit...3 guys tried to cling on to the bars at the doors but they were pushed out and this other guy ran and got into a first class compartment....he didnt even hav tickets coz the tickets were with the guys at Kaattpatti Junction...he stayed there for about 2 stations or so. Some luggages were left at the 2nd Class Sleeper compartment where the guys had stood before so this guy began goin through boggies to retrieve the luggage and what he saw was illegal to the extreme....
All the TTE's were huddled up behind the 1st Class A/C compartment and were smoking...even the guy who kicked the guys out. The guy politely asked the TTE permission to get his luggage and he retreived it and came back to the 1st class compartment and he stayed there for about 2 stations or so. It was about 12AM when another TTE came and caught this guy and asked him to leave...the guy pleaded to the TTE that he had no choice and no money...the TTE's scolded the guy to get the hell out of his compartment..and to get inside General compartment. At 12AM the guy was once again kicked out at Joliarpett Junction. The guy tried to cling on to the bars of the General compartment but he fell down. Luckily there was another train Chennai-Trivandrum special train in which the 4guys got in and came to Palakkad.
The guys tried to complain about the TTE to the Palakkad Station Master but he just didnt want the guys to write a complaint and warned the guys that if they gave a complaint they'd have to come several more times for legal hearing and all...
One of guy upon reaching Kerala reported this incident to Madhyamam Newspaper...and the news got posted in the Gulf edition of the newspaper.
Here's the snippet from the newspaper...Click to enlarge:
There's one more incident which I'll b posting soon...
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