The automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) are expected to be installed at the Mysore Railway Station within a month, thus obviating the need to stand in lengthy queues to buy unreserved tickets.
The banks
The machines will be installed in the existing automated teller machine (ATM) kiosks of five banks — State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Vijaya Bank, Punjab National Bank and the Union Bank of India.
The respective banks will manage the system.
Two other banks — Bank of Baroda and Oriental Bank of Commerce — are also expected to install the facility.
MP submits wishlist
The issue came up when A.H. Vishwanath, MP, submitted a wishlist to railway officials during a meeting held here on Tuesday. The meeting was consequent to a directive by the Ministry of Railways to General Managers of the Zonal Railway to hold two meetings in a year with the local MPs to discuss various demands.
Mr. Vishwanath had sought additional booking counters and the officials said the existing counters would suffice as the ATVMs were likely to be installed soon. Once the machines were installed, the waiting time for passengers would reduce, they said.
In addition, three Janasadharan Ticket Booking Sevaks would be sanctioned for Mysore and they would be authorised to dispense railway tickets. One would be located at Ramaswamy Circle, one at Shivarampet and one near the railway station.
Slow pace of work
Mr. Vishwanath also drew attention to the slow pace of track-doubling work between Bangalore and Mysore and said that it had to be expedited. Track-doubling was an important infrastructure project was expected to act as a catalyst for the comprehensive growth of the city, he said.
Officials said work between Hanakere and Mandya; Mandya and Yeliur; and Channapatna and Shettihalli would be commissioned this year while the critical section was the work on Naganahalli-Pandavapura section which had slowed down owing to delay in land acquisition. However, they expressed confidence that the work was likely to be completed in 2014.
Regular halts sought
R. Dhruvanarayan, Chamarajanagar MP, stressed the need to introduce more long-distance trains from Chamarajanagar.
He also wanted regular halt for all passenger trains operating on the section at Mariyala near Chamarajanagar town. Underlining the need for additional facilities at Chamarajanagar, Mr. Dhruvanarayan sought a goods shed.
South Western Railway General Manager A.K. Mital, Mysore Divisional Railway Manager Vinod Kumar, Additional Divisional Railway Manager Rakesh Gupta, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Anup S. Dayanand and other officials were present.
Though there are 14 MPs in the jurisdiction of the Mysore Railway Division, only two attended the meeting.
