Dhaka Bureau: After selling 100% of tickets online, the Eid journey of the railway has started with strict measures to ensure that the ticket belongs to the traveler. People of various ages started leaving the capital on the relief train journey by leaving the Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express from Kamalapur at 6:20 am yesterday, on Monday. Passengers did not have to face any trouble to get on the train or sit in their own seats with a fleet of luggage, including children. No one could even climb the roof at risk. Why not, passengers have to go through several levels of checks to reach the train from Kamalapur station premises in this Eid trip?
Apart from expressing their satisfaction, most of the passengers are applauding this step by the railways to prevent ticketless passengers. Again, many of those who have collected tickets without cutting their IDs in any other way are getting involved in arguments, ruling the traveling ticket examiners (TTEs). Kamalapur railway station, in Sarzamin capital, was visited yesterday morning. There are five bamboo gates at the entrance of the station.
In this, five TTE are checking tickets and the NIDs of passengers. They are requesting to enter the platform with the ticket in their hands. They are assisted in their work by members of the Railway Security Force (ANB). There is a huge team of RAB, police, and Ansar. They are also helping the passengers to straighten the lines and manage the crowd.
The second check is in front of the ticket counter, where there are three gates. Finally, there is a third check of suspects before the main entrance. TTEs are doing ticket checking and NID matching using point-of-sale (POS) machines where necessary. Passengers are allowed to enter the platform through such tight security.
Meanwhile, TTERA is blocking the entry of passengers who have booked tickets with other NIDs. A passenger who identified himself as a lawyer and booked the ticket with someone else’s ID said, I booked the ticket with my brother’s ID as my ID (registered ID on the railway server) was damaged. Why can’t I go through with it? At one stage of the argument, he said, Will I call the minister’s PA? At this time, the other person who was with him said, Will it be so strict? Must tighten gradually. TTE told them that if NID agreed with any one of these four constituencies, I could still let them go. But ID did not match with any of you. So I can’t let you go. Because if someone else shows the ticket and NID, I am bound to let him go.
The TTER on duty said that about 95 percent of the passengers’ tickets are matched with the NID. We are barring the 5 percent who don’t match. This is how we are instructed. They probably bought black tickets from an online store.
According to the overall management, Dhaka Divisional Railway Manager Mohammad Sofiqur Rahman said, a passenger has to complete several levels of checking to enter the station. There is no problem for passengers with genuine tickets. Those who have collected tickets through various means may be in trouble. However, we are checking the ticket of each passenger to confirm whose journey it is’. Moreover, we are keeping an eye on the fact that passengers without tickets cannot press the train in any way and cannot make the journey of ticket holders unsafe. However, Railways is selling 25 percent standing tickets against each train seat. They can go to the destination while standing.
Kamalapur station manager Masud Sarwar said that the railways have sold 100% of train tickets online this time. Every day, 30–32 thousand passengers are traveling from Kamalapur to different destinations. He said that around 75,000 passengers are traveling by train for Eid across the country.
