Over 11 crore train tickets involving about Rs 9,500 crore fare were booked during 2011-12 through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation’s (IRCTC) online portal, the highest in the past ten years.
About 11.61 crore train tickets involving fare of Rs 9,498.45 crore were booked through IRCTC website in the last fiscal. During 2010-11, 9.69 crore tickets involving amount of about Rs 8,007.16 crore, were booked through the portal, according to information received in response to an RTI query.
As many as 1.99 lakh tickets (Rs 26.39 crore fare) were booked during 2002-03, it said.
The IRCTC, a Government of India enterprise, also said that it was getting about 5,000 each telephone calls and e-mails were being received everyday on various queries or issues from the website users.
“There is no such disputed amount on account of booking of train tickets. The complaints regarding non-realisation of amount after being deducted from their respective bank accounts are resolved within 3-4 days. This is being done on routine manner basis, as such, record is not maintained.
“About 5,000 e-mails and 5,000 telephonic calls pertaining to various queries or issues from e-ticket website users are received everyday,” the reply said.
The IRCTC said it does not have detail of unclaimed amount on account of train booked tickets since it only facilitates its customers to book ticket through its website.
“Close coordination is done with all payment gateways to ensure smooth transactions. There is no case of non-refund of customer’s money for ticket not booked,” it said.