What will be your response when you come to know that you could not board the train for which you reserved the ticket before 3 months for your destination with your aged parents, wife and child of just 6 months old??????
I was put up in a great dilemma when I came to know that 2802 New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express which is scheduled to depart from Tatanagar Jn at 20:30 Hrs will leave Tatanagar Jn on next day 05:00 Hrs due to naxal problems and I had to board the same train for Bhubaneshwar to catch next train 2660 Gurudev Express.
The reason for my worry was train which is scheduled to depart from Bhubaneshwar at 06:45 Hrs next day, in which I had reservation to Tirupati with family for the “Mundan Ceremony” of my child. It was a planned programme well before 4 months. And the sudden jerk in this form left me to a great confusion as no other train from Tatanagar can let me catch the connecting train. The fact was known to me by my brother well in advance that train is not running as per its schedule but there are chances that it will resume by the time of my journey commence. Still I enquired with the Chandigarh railways authorities where I got a gentle and helpful advice that in these condition station authorities of Tatanagar only can help and it is beyond their limit.
Now there was no other way for me to wait and watch and to hope for the best. But real drama started on 8th of Nov when I reached Tatanagar Rly Stn to enquire about the solution for the problem. The simple solution provided by the Station Manager (Gazatted) to cancel the ticket and collect the refund. On my request to allow me to travel by the train earlier to 2802 he simply quoted such words which were enough to harass any normal passenger. The response was “Dekhiye ye humara problem to nahi hai, ab aap Maowadioon se jake puchiye train kab tak regular hoga. Humari aap se koi dusmani to hai nahi ki mein aap ka ticket allow na karoon. Aur yeh baniya ki dukan to nahi hai ki koi rule regulations hi na ho”
(It is not our problem, you ask the naxals when the train will resume. We are not your enemies that we will not allow with this ticket and this is not a grocery shop where there are no rules and regulations). This disappointing response of the highest authority of such a big junction was enough to get irritated. Nevertheless, I approached to Station Superintendent, the gentleman suggested us to go to the CRS stating his inability to help as he was also abiding by the rules which can be changed as per their will and wish… At CRS office a Sweeper stopped us stating we cannot meet the CRS and then again a so called railway employee suggested me to cancel the ticket and get refund or get a fresh reservation. Now it was the limit of my patience and I raised my voice and asked for the complaint book. This forced the CRS himself to come out of his cabin. At first he denied for any help but then after listening to our problems he consulted, Station superintendent (commercial) who allowed us to travel by any other available train with the same ticket in same class with out reservation in writing. Here the rules and regulation which are being told by other authorities were not become any hindrance to him. Again at train on production of the ticket with signature and stamp of an officer, TTE wanted some kharcha-pani (bribe) for allowing us to board the train stating that rules does not allow so. With Karcha-pani every thing is allowed and no rule objects!!!!!! It is The Indian Railways. Any ways I boarded the train quietly and with God’s grace I got 5 vacant seats to sit and we reached our destination well in time.
Here I came to know one thing that there is no one to help you till you cannot fight for your self…. So if you are sure, fight for your right and never bribe. By doing this we can at least do our part to curb “Corruption” the most burning issue of our society which is so deep routed that no rules and laws can eliminate it. It is similar to plant a tree to save our environment. Do not wait for others to initiate, do your duties……