Udaipur, which in my opinion is the most beautiful city in Asia, isn't well connected on India's rail map. Most of the railway tracks leading to the city have been recently converted from meter gauge to narrow gauge and the conversion to broad gauge is taking some time. As a result, there is just 1 train that connects Bombay to Udaipur and it runs just thrice a week. So the scramble for tickets is understandable. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket under the emergency quota.
While on the journey to the fabled city, I was witness to an unusual drama. A family of 3 had a confirmed ticket to Udaipur from Bombay but because of some clerical error, the final railway chart showed them boarding from Surat. In the meantime, another family of 3 was sold the same seats from Bombay to Surat. So despite the first family having paid for and having gotten a confirmed ticket, the ticket checker refused to budge. He refused to accept the status shown on the first family's laptop. He first demanded a fine of Rs 1400 and promised a receipt later.
After pressure from other passengers on the train, the ticket checker gave the family back Rs 600 but decided to pocket the remaining money. A threat to expose the corrupt 'tc' in the media yielded no results. So, because of an error made by the railways, the family were lighter on the pocket! The family were just relieved to stay on the train and decided to write off the money!
While on the journey to the fabled city, I was witness to an unusual drama. A family of 3 had a confirmed ticket to Udaipur from Bombay but because of some clerical error, the final railway chart showed them boarding from Surat. In the meantime, another family of 3 was sold the same seats from Bombay to Surat. So despite the first family having paid for and having gotten a confirmed ticket, the ticket checker refused to budge. He refused to accept the status shown on the first family's laptop. He first demanded a fine of Rs 1400 and promised a receipt later.
After pressure from other passengers on the train, the ticket checker gave the family back Rs 600 but decided to pocket the remaining money. A threat to expose the corrupt 'tc' in the media yielded no results. So, because of an error made by the railways, the family were lighter on the pocket! The family were just relieved to stay on the train and decided to write off the money!
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