I had a confirmed ticket for the 2650-Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express on 28 Nov from Bhopal to Kacheguda with PNR No. 2540215793, with an allotted berth No. A1/32. Under the same PNR, my wife named Mrs Farheen, was wait-listed at No.1.
We had bought the said e-ticket on 23 Sept. At the time of booking two months ago, I was wait-listed at 1 and Mrs Farheen at wait list No.2. We could not understand that if my ticket got the confirmed status, then why in the two months my wife’s ticket could not come up even in the RAC. {The reservation chart displayed at Bhopal, showed confirmed status even for WL-10 and WL-12}.
However, after the oral guidance of the Head Ticket Collector at Bhopal, we bought a second class ticket No.22327999 for my wife. In the train, the conductor said that “after clearing RAC”, he would consider Mrs Farheen’s case. We requested the Conductor to change our one or both tickets to AC-1, but to that too, he expressed inability.
In the keenness to get a berth, I was keeping a tab on the Conductor’s movements and in the process, by chance, I noticed him taking a substantial amount of money (Rs 500/-) from someone and sending him to AC-1. Seeing me having noticed this, the Conductor also felt embarrassed and told me that actually, that was the Nagpur quota and he had not made any ticket for the person. He said that if I was similarly agreeable to travel without a formal ticket then I could go to berth No. A1/13.
Already a person was occupying berth No. A1/13. The Conductor talked and conceded to him and then took me to the AC-3 adjacent to A-1, and at 0845p.m., asked me to occupy (without ticket!) berth No. B-8, upto Nagpur. I gave him a Rs 100/- note. He asked for Rs 200/-. Though I protested that he was not making ticket and in a couple of hours, I would have to re-negotiate with the Conductor taking the train from Nagpur, yet for fear of losing whatever was becoming available, I gave him Rs 200/-.
Nevertheless, the berth No. B-8 was side upper right in the door-way and neither my wife nor I availed of this short term facility. We simply lost the bribe money of Rs 200/-. This is the story of a short time. We wonder the amount of money the Conductor would have collected from gullible passengers in one trip of a few hours.
My present request from you however, is to kindly check and inform me, if Mrs Farheen’s not getting the berth in the train was genuine or the Conductor deliberately did not allot the berth to her and dishonestly took money from other passengers to allot them the berth actually meant for Mrs Farheen.
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