Kotchandpur (Jhenaidah) Correspondent; Intercity train tickets are being recklessly sold in the black market at Kotchandpur Railway Station in Jhenaidah. No tickets are available without paying extra money. Aware circles of the area are drawing the attention of higher authorities.
It is learnt that railway employees and their associates at the station are recklessly trading train tickets in black market for extra money through various tricks. Although this situation has been going on for a long time, for unknown reasons, the higher authorities of the railway are not taking any action. As a result, passenger harassment and illegal ticket trading have taken a serious form day by day. Passengers have also filed complaints with the Khulna Divisional Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officer regarding this illegal business and passenger harassment. A passenger named Altaf Hossain has alleged that this has not yielded any results.
It is learnt from the complaint that tickets for the intercity country email list Chitra and Sundarban trains running on the Khulna-Dhaka railway route are being illegally sold to passengers at higher prices and in various ways at Kotchandpur railway station in Jhenaidah. Since the ticket sellers (booking clerks) and station masters working at the station are residents of the local area, they are selling train tickets with great force and taking extra money by various means. They do not pay any attention to the complaints of any passenger. Each ticket in Dhaka is being sold for an extra price of 200 taka and sometimes 4/500 taka. During the last Eid-ul-Azha, an AC ticket of 835 taka was sold at double price at Kotchandpur railway station. That is, for 1600 taka. A passenger named Waiz bought two tickets for 3200 taka. He is a teacher. Although he did not go into any argument, he later revealed the matter frankly due to his heartache.
On August 16, ticket seller Hannan Sarkar and points man Zillur Rahman were caught by intelligence agencies while illegally selling tickets at Tangail Railway Station for an excessive amount of money. Later, the two railway employees were released on bail after locals pleaded and apologized.
It has been alleged that local railway employees, in collusion with leaders of alleged political parties in the area, are freely selling tickets for extra money by forming a black market syndicate. These tickets are sold at an extra price at a paan shop next to the station. People from several upazilas travel by train at Kotchandpur railway station. During this Eid, each ticket was secretly sold through a syndicate for a nice chair at an extra price of 200 to 400 taka. Most of the tickets with seats at Kotchandpur railway station had to be bought through brokers. Passengers have fallen victim to the innovative tactics of railway employees while collecting these tickets.
Passengers complain that local railway employees (station masters and assistants) tell passengers that tickets can be given but there are no seats. Now the passenger requests how to arrange a seat for him. Finally, they are told that it can be brought from Khulna or Jessore railway stations, which will require additional money. Finally, he has to collect the seat with the additional money. Another tactic is that when Eid or festivals come, in collaboration with ticket black marketers and railway employees, they book all the seats in advance under fake names. Later, they sell them at higher prices through bargaining with passengers. According to the victims, intercity train tickets are being recklessly black marketed at many railway stations including Kotchandpur.
Several aggrieved passengers said that railway tickets have now become like golden deer. Due to which railway employees are freely selling tickets in the black market. But the passengers complain that the top officials of the railway are not taking any remedial measures despite knowing everything. Therefore, the aggrieved passengers have sought the intervention of the minister in charge of railways and the Khulna Divisional Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
When I spoke to Kotchandpur Railway Station Master Gelam Mustafa and asked about this, he told this reporter, "I sell tickets to any passenger who comes to my counter to buy tickets. And he also said that none of my employees are involved in the black market of tickets."