Commuters from the unorganised sector will now be able to travel for a month by the suburban locals at Rs25 a month thanks to the Izzat monthly season ticket scheme. These tickets will be issued from August 1.
The time limit for the advance reservation period under the tatkal scheme has been reduced to two days (excluding the date of journey) from the five days now. This will also be introduced from August 1.
These schemes were announced by union railway minister Mamata Banerjee in her budget speech on July 3.
The Izzat scheme has faced a lot of flak from the officials as they fear it will encourage illegal commuting. The scheme can be availed by people whose monthly income is less than Rs1,500. Inclusive of all surcharges, the monthly season ticket will be priced at Rs25 up to a distance of 100 kms for a month.
Commuters can avail of the scheme on producing the income certificate from the district magistrate or sitting member of Parliament and the below-poverty-line card issued by central government under recognised poverty alleviation programme. The minister has also authorised divisional railway managers to ask the station managers to issue tickets.
Also, the sitting MP of Rajya Sabha has been authorised to ask the DRMs for issue of Izzat tickets to persons of the district in which these MPs reside. The DRMs have also been empowered to issue income certificates under exceptional circumstances which will be be valid for two years from the date of issue and it has to be on the letterhead of the issuing authority.
“Any person will be able to obtain the certificate from any of the above mentioned authorities. This will only encourage illegal commuting as people will take this opportunity to get the Izzat passes by obtaining fake income certificate from their MPs,” said a senior railway official. The station manager can issue the ticket only on verifying the photocopy of the income certificate which will be retained for future reference.
“Although Railways claim that they would take adequate steps to check fraudulent use of the facility, it will be difficult for the ticket checking staff to penalise well-dressed commuters who have the monthly season ticket of Rs25,” said the official.
When asked about the scheme, Kamlesh Shah, a commuter from Andheri, said, “I will try once to get this ticket by obtaining a fake income certificate. If the local MP authorises that I am from the BPL category, the railways cannot prove that I am not from the unorganised sector.”
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