In an ongoing effort to protect passengers from touts, the Railway administration has implemented a new system for booking "opening tickets," which are tickets for 60-day advance reservations. As of Tuesday, these tickets can only be booked through a user's registered ID on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) platform, using a mandatory One-Time Password (OTP).

This move is designed to put an end to the illicit earnings of touts, who were found to be engaging in malpractice with these tickets.

The Problem: Touts And Ticket Malpractice

The Railway administration had been receiving continuous complaints that touts were misusing the "opening ticket" system, similar to how they previously exploited the Tatkal ticket quota.

It was found that touts were using various Aadhaar cards to illegally book advance tickets and sell them to passengers at inflated prices. This practice caused significant inconvenience for the general public, making it difficult for them to secure advance reservations.

How The New System Works

To address this, IRCTC has adopted a new method that was previously implemented for Tatkal tickets:

Registered ID: Passengers must have a registered ID on the IRCTC site.

Linked Aadhaar/Mobile: This ID must be linked to the user's Aadhaar and mobile number.

OTP Verification: When booking an opening ticket, the user must enter their Aadhaar card number. An OTP will then be sent to their linked mobile number.

Ticket Issuance: The ticket will only be issued after the correct OTP is entered.

To ensure passengers are not inconvenienced in case of a weak network, the OTP has a validity of 30 minutes.

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Implementation And Timeline

On the orders of the Railway Board, this new system was first implemented on a trial basis on October 13. Following the trial's success, IRCTC fully implemented the system starting this past Tuesday.

With this change, the Railway administration aims to protect ordinary passengers and allow them to book tickets easily from the comfort of their homes via the IRCTC site.

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