Members of the Tamil Nadu e-Ticket Agents’ Welfare Association staged a protest demonstration here pressing for a charter of demands, including provision of e-service centres under the e-governance scheme to them.
The protest was led by its State president K.K.R. Mohanasundaram and general secretary M. Kannan. The protestors wanted the district administration to give the e-service centres to them without any conditions. “The e-service centres could not cater to the common man in providing the services. If these centres are handed over to us officially, we can popularise the services as we did with the IRCTC train e-ticket booking through internet,” Mr. Kannan said.
They also sought constitution of a welfare board for e-ticket agents and medical insurance scheme for them.
The government should provide them free login identification to enable them to help the people in paying electricity bill and booking tickets for State-run buses with a provision of service charge.
The agents wanted to regulate the omni-bus fare. The timing for cancellation of train tickets for the agents should be increased from one hour to 48 hours.
The association members demanded that the IRCTC should scrap indirect collection of service charge on train tickets. They were also opposed to running of premium trains and the concept of premium tatkal ticketing that affected the passengers. These trains should be run with ordinary fare, they said.
The ban on booking of railway ticket by e-agents between 8 a.m. and 12 noon should be removed, they said.
