About 400 passengers had a free, albeit short ride today on board the Rameswaram – Madurai passenger train (56724) at Rameswaram without valid tickets on Wednesday as the clerk, posted at the booking counter, ‘failed to turn up’ for duty.
Besides the booking counter, there were two automatic ticket vending machines in the station but there was no facilitator to issue tickets to the passengers who came to board the passenger train, scheduled to leave at 5.30 a.m.
Railway officials said the clerk, Rohit Kumar Meena, 30, who was present at the station, suffered severe chest pain around 3.40 a.m.
He left for the government hospital in the island without informing anyone. He was to report for duty at 4.30 a.m. at the booking counter.
Counter deserted
On coming to know that the counter was deserted and passengers were growing restive, Station Manager Rameshwar Meena informed the higher officials.
On their instruction, he posted his deputy Santhosh Kumar Kanwar at the booking counter at 5.20 a.m., but the latter could distribute only five tickets in the short span of 10 minutes, the officials said.
Blessing in disguise
An engine fault in the Chennai Egmore-Rameswaram Express (22661) came as a blessing in disguise for the railway officials as the Rameswaram-Madurai passenger train was held up at Ramanathapuram station for about 45 minutes for the exchange of engines of the two trains.
Even as the engines were exchanged, the officials addressed passengers through the public address system, asking them to buy the tickets at the station, after which all the passengers bought tickets, the officials said.
This was ascertained by a special squad, which checked the passengers at Manamadurai, the officials added.
Officials said Mr. Meena was later referred to the government district headquarters hospital here and he was kept under observation.
