It appears strange that the mighty Indian Railways has decided to shoot at railway touts from the shoulders of hapless passengers. It has admitted this while issuing orders that a passenger can now get a full refund only if he/she cancels his/her ticket at least 48 hours prior to departure, against the existing 24 hours.
It tries to justify the change in rules by explaining this will put curbs on touts selling cancelled tickets at black-market rates at the last moment. It will also give more decision-making time to those who need to travel at the last moment. It has announced several other changes, such as requiring that claims for refunds be made within 10 days of the train’s departure, as against the prevailing 90 days.
While the Railways does have the right to frame its own rules, it seems unfair to passengers who are forced to cancel planned journeys at the last minute due to some unforeseen reasons. There seems to be no rationale even for other changes like slashing the timeframe for making refund claims. These changes smack of nothing less than the arrogance of a monopolist, as the Railways has no competition and rail travellers are a captive market as most have no other means of long-distance travel.
It would have been better if the Railways focused more on making long-distance rail travel less tedious and more pleasurable. Despite all the talk, the food and hygiene on board need considerable improvement. This is what the Railways should concentrate on.