Faulty ACs at ticket counters have booking clerks threatening to strike work next week. But they vow not to inconvenience commuters
Faulty ACs at ticket counters have booking clerks threatening to strike work next week. But they vow not to inconvenience commuters
Disgruntled with the railway administration, booking clerks on the Western Railway (WR) have threatened to strike work next week. After several reminders to install air conditioners in the booking offices, they have decided to abandon the stuffy booking counters and give up on the Unreserved Ticket System (UTS).
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But commuters need not worry for these employees are considerate. To ensure commuters are not inconvenienced, they will set up informal booking centres outside the counters and sell coupons in place of paper tickets, which are printed with the help of the UTS.
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According to the railway employees, the UTS systems require air-conditioned settings to function properly, as the thermal printers get overheated and often stop working. Moreover, since the counters are completely enclosed, the employees start feeling claustrophobic.
"When the system malfunctions, tickets are not dispensed fast enough and commuters abuse us," said a railway employee.u00a0u00a0u00a0
S S Gupta, chief PRO (WR), said, "A problem with the AC had occurred at Borivli on May 7, but it has been sorted out." However, he did not comment on meeting the demands of the booking clerks.u00a0u00a0u00a0
The first UTS
In 2006, 78 UTSes were installed at 14 railway stations on Central Railway and 138 at 22 stations on the Western Railway. Since then, more UTSes have been installed at WR stations. Last year, all booking offices were renovated and air conditioners installed. However, after six months, many of the ACs became dysfunctional.
A week's notice
The employees have given the administration time up till next week to address their problems. Ajay Singh, president (Mumbai division), WR Mazdoor Sangh, said, "We want ACs installed at all booking counters. Else, we will see coupons from outside, as we don't want to inconvenience commuters."
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