Taking advantage of the Hazara community protest, the Pakistan Railways (PR) employees in the city have started the business of black marketing of railway tickets amid shortage of seats in trains and the existence of a large number of passengers.
Although, the train service was restored two days after the Hazara community ended their protest in the country yesterday, but tickets were not available despite the fact that railway stations in the metropolis remained close for three days and no one had visited the offices for advance booking of railway tickets due to the uncertainty which prevailed all over the country.
The tickets at city’s railway station were only available in black at exorbitant rates. A large number of agents were seen dealing with passengers, who were refused tickets by station administration, outside the station premises. Magically these agents came back with tickets when they were given Rs 500 extra while excluding the transportation fee.
A large number of people reached the city’s railway station after three-day closure of train service in the country to reach their respective destinations, but many of them could not get tickets after the station management informed that seats were not available.
An agent, who was standing outside Adjustment Counter at Cantt Station, told this scribe that tickets were only available in black. The agent, who was a junior grade employee of PR, while requesting anonymity, said that the reservation office of the railway station concerned had been provided with the opportunity after many days to mint money from the passengers and they did not want to miss this golden chance.
“The tickets of Allama Iqbal Express, Millat Express, Pakistan Express and Night Coach were available against a commission of Rs 500 each per ticket, while one ticket of Karakoram Express was sold at the rate of Rs 2,500 while its actual amount is only Rs 1,500 from Karachi to Lahore,” he added.
A passenger, who was standing outside the Adjustment Counter, narrated his story as follows: “My name is Khalil Ahmed and i am a resident of Lahore. I came to Karachi to attend the wedding of one of my cousin but i had no idea that it can cost me heavily.
I approached a man who was sitting in Adjustment Counter after the reservation office claimed that there is no ticket available in Karakoram Express. When i arrived here i met with a person namely Jumman but he also refused to give me ticket but on his refusal a man standing at a walk through gate to check luggage of passengers called me and demand Rs 2,500 for a single ticket. I gave him the amount and after 10 minutes, from the hall beside Adjustment Counter, he appeared with the ticket,” he added.
When Jumman, who was sitting in Adjustment Counter, was approached for comments, he said that he was a railways employee too and he had to oblige his colleagues. “When a railway employee came to me and requested me for a ticket, then I could not refuse him as I have to survive in this environment,” Jumman said, while adding that, “I have no idea whether they are selling the ticket in black or whether are really helping their relatives.”
PR Employee Union Karachi Division President Muqadar Zaman said that a few employees of the railways were involved in this business. “If I was asked to reveal the ratio of the railway employees involved in black marketing of tickets, then I will say that only 15 percent employees in Karachi are engaged in this business,” he added.
“These people usually stand in parking lots of Cantt and City railway stations and when a passenger reached the reservation office, he would have a ticket in his hand,” he said, adding that “There is a constant decline in black marketing of railway tickets in Karachi after Shoaib Adil assumed charge as DCO, but still few people are involved in this black business.”
Railway Karachi Division DCO Shoaib Adil when contacted said that the Railway Police was involved in this business. He said that no PR employees were involved in this business, but the Railway Police could not be stopped. He further said that he had talked to SSP Railway Police and requested him to take action against railway police personnel, who were running this business, but he paid no attention to the request and black marketing of railway tickets had been continuing. Moreover, I have fired a few people who were proved guilty in relation to black marketing of railway tickets and now there was no one in Karachi division railways who would dare to get involved in this business, he added.
