Southern Railway has proposed to engage Station Ticket Booking Agents (STBA) to issue unreserved tickets through computerised unreserved ticketing system at select “E” category stations in Tiruchi Division.
The move is to be put in place a system to help station masters and assistant station masters of “E” category stations to concentrate on their core duty of train operations instead of issuing tickets.
The railway authorities have identified 33 “E” category stations in Tiruchi Railway Division to appoint the STBAs on a contractual basis.
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The 33 stations, many of which are located in non-descript places, include Alapakkam, Puduchattiram, Nannilam, Titte, Saliyamangalam, Ottakovil, Kizhvelur, Venkatesapuram, Mambalapattu, Kaniyambadi, Kulikkarai, Tiruthuraiyur, Thurinjapuram, and Agaram Sibbandhi.
The STBAs would be appointed for three years on commission basis and will work at the chosen stations. The railways will fund the hardware, software including its maintenance and electricity besides providing space.
They would sell all types of non-concessional unreserved tickets through UTS, including platform tickets and season tickets on cash basis only.
Facilities
The STBAs will be either under the station master or assistant station master with whom the cash collected through sale of tickets would be deposited.
The station master and the assistant station master will be responsible for the safe custody of the ticket rolls and hand over besides taking it over daily from the STBA.
Railway officials said the commission to the STBAs will be paid from the ticket sales of the station concerned.
The STBAs will be provided with identity cards issued by the Commercial Department officials and their names will be displayed on the station’s notice board.
The “E” category stations are those whose annual earnings range from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 60 lakh.
The stations are categorised based on passenger earnings, a senior official said.
The railways has set out on the task of appointing the STBAs by floating tender, the official said and added that the applicant would have to submit a police certificate mentioning that there was no criminal case pending against him or her.
A contract would be signed for three years between the STBA and the railway.
The official said the STBA would not be given any facility that is enjoyed by regular railway employees. The railways had appointed STBAs in few stations in Tiruchi division, the official said.
Railways offers three-year contract for these agents
They will work under the station masters and assistant station masters
