IRCTC asks railway zones to deploy 10 POS machines on each train to prevent over-charging

The Railways has asked all its zones to ensure that there are at least 10 POS or point of sale machines on each train. This has been done to provide passengers with bills for food items that they purchase. "Zones are hereby advised to ensure the provision and operation of minimum 10 POS machine in each mail/express trains under their jurisdiction with immediate effect. Licensee must be immediately directed to deploy these machines in all trains run by them," a letter by the Railways said.

However, in a letter on Monday, IRCTC, the ticketing and catering arm of the Indian Railways, said that despite the instructions, the hand-held electronic bill printing machines were not deployed in trains. It also added that cases of overcharging were "continuously being received, resulting in bad publicity for IRCTC".

The Railways also asked zones to carry out inspections to check whether the directions were being followed and instructed them to send a report by June.

Earlier this month, the Railways said that passengers on 25 trains can now choose their meals from a pre-loaded menu and pay through credit or debit cards without worrying about being overcharged or having to shell out the exact amount for their food.

This system will cover all zones in a phased manner, they said.

(With PTI inputs)