Sub:- Implicating the innocent, regarding:-
Respected Sir,
I want to pour out my heart before you. I am alarmed at the way some things have gone against all my expectation, surprising me to the core.
I am George A K, hailing from Trichur Kerala and working as a lecturer in Anna University for the past about 8 years. I also am a Roman Catholic Priest and a very good Basket ball player at this age of 49 of mine. Earlier I had written some suggestion to Railways to improve its design of rail coaches. I have also written some of my good experiences with Indian Railway, especially with some of its officials. I am a civil engineer plus a computer engineer teaching computer science now.
I was having an IRCTC account for the past few years, and I had been booking tickets with that. It was a convenient method. I thank you for the same.
By about 15th of august my colleague sitting next to me in staff room in Anna University got a mail from IRCTC, saying that, his IRCTC account is deactivated, because there was a fraudulent activity detected, in the form of filing wrong TDR claim. He requested IRCTC to send him the details of the ticket on which he is alleged to have claimed a wrong TDR. But he was never informed of the details of the ticket, but his account remained deactivated. Meantime he was to take a lot of round about ways to contact Delhi (in Hindi) and get copies of the tickets he was to travel shortly. We in the room, assisted him in all this difficult tasks.
A few days later, by about 25th august onwards to my great surprise, I found my account was not responding. I wrote to IRCTC and got a bolt from the blue, saying, due to wrong filing of TDR, my account is deactivated. I asked for the details of the ticket on which I am alleged to have filed a wrong TDR. Luckily for me they sent an e-copy of the ticket. The ticket was for travel on 29th December. (8 months before) I should have filed the TDR for the same, in the month of January.
Now fortunately for me I could recollect all the relevant details and reasons due to which I had to postpone my travel from 29th to 31st of December. I am a very good basket ball player too. Attached to our church in Trichur we have a prestigious school. They decided to conduct an All Kerala Inter School basket ball tournament the first of its kind in that school. On the final day of it they decided to conduct a friendly match with Rev. Fathers and v/s the Veterans of Trichur. As I was a player, they requested me to stay back for the same on 31st. I had a mass in Chennai on 1st in St. Lazarus Church at Four Shore Estate, on Friday the new year day, at 6.00 am. Because of their compulsion, I contacted the church in Chennai to make alternate arrangements. Fr. Principal booked a ticket for me on 31st night. It should be either a Tatkal or an EQ ticket. Thus I stayed back in Trichur to play the match.
On 30th I watched the semifinals of the teams and even took some practice for the following day’s match. On 31st I played with the fathers’ team and unfortunately lost it. In fact I had played against my coach in my younger days. With a paining injured knee of mine by about 9. 30 – 10.00 I started from Trichur to Railway station and as I remember the train was somewhere around 10.30 or 11.00 pm.
It is because of that basket ball game in which I injured my knee so much, I remember those details so much. Now the IRCTC has found out that I had travelled on 29th itself and that I filed a wrong TDR. They have deactivated my account, without giving me a chance to explain my side. In order to cancel 2 tickets which I had booked for Vijayawada and back on 4 and 5th of September respectively, I had to send numerous emails. Then they were asking me to make the same request from an old mail id of mine, which was no more functional. In spite of explaining the non-functionality of the old mail, they continued the same stand, “send from the old email id”. What a torture is this?
I have a few questions to you.
1. What scientific proof does IRCTC expect me to produce to prove that I have not travelled? An E-ticket can be printed any number of times and so I can easily say, I have not travelled, stating that the TTE’s sign is not there. Surely you won’t expect a proof like this for non-travel from my side.
2. The circumstantial evidences (the notices and photos) of having a match there, my playing it on 31st can be proved. But will that be of any value to you!
3. The fact that I travelled by a reserved ticket from Trichur to Chennai on 31st may be of some significance to you. But do you expect me to keep a travelled ticket (not an e ticket but a card type usual ticket) for 8 months? But Railway’s computers should definitely keep that data (for me). The data should be George A K (Fr. George)
4. As I am a lecturer in Anna University and those days 30th and 31st being working days, could you please accept that record for my absence in Anna University chennai, my work place, as a sort of proof for my not travelling on 29th of December? I have verified and seen that, I have not signed on those slots. (a day’s salary is at least Rs. 750. So 2 days it is Rs. 1500) if I file a TDR, what I am to get will be around Rs. 150 at the most I hope.) Do you expect one to leave those two days unsigned to get a TDR claim?
5. Most importantly, how do you expect us to verify what the TTE has marked against our name in the list, when we have not travelled at all? Do you expect us to sift through the records made by the TTE, before filing a TDR? Do you make those records available in the net or anywhere so that we can verify them before filing a TDR?
6. There are two way of looking at the actions of the TTE. The most neutral way of looking at it is, ‘the TTE has forgotten to mark, that the person has not travelled, or by mistake he just ticked my name too’. In this case am I to be punished, my account to be deactivated without hearing me, and my name to be tarnished among my coworkers, superiors and students? The worst way of looking at is, ‘the TTE, knowingly refuses to mark the absence of a traveler and ‘sells’ the ticket to another one and pockets the money’. In this case, am I to be punished for that crime of his?
7. Where is the transparency behind all these issues? Will you find out the TTE of the concerned day and sort out things? Leave alone all the issues of money. Can IRCTC, restore the image and reputation of me and my next table friend in the Anna University community?
8. Is there any higher authority where I can appeal or what is the procedure for any appeal in this matter? Can any step be taken, if TTEs are selling the tickets in the above possible way I reasonably suspect?
9. I would like to have a personal interview with you or anybody you suggest in Chennai office. If possible let my next table colleague also be invited.
10. Advise me as to what is to be done in this. Can we trust the Indian Railway anymore? Do you want us to revert to manual booking regime (at the railway station)? What will happen to my IRCTC account? Will it be re-activated at all?
0 comments