More than 1.6 crore passengers could not travel by train due to cancellation of their wait-listed tickets during 2021-22. In the past five years, close to five crore waitlisted PNRs (Passenger Name Records) has been cancelled by Railways.
According to the available data, more than 1.13 crore tickets during 2014-15, 81.05 lakh during 2016-17, 73 lakhs during 2017-18, around 69 lakhs during 2018-19 and more than 38 lakh wait-listed tickets were cancelled during 2021-22 due to unavailability of berths in Railway coaches, an RTI filed by Madhya Pradesh based activist Shekhar Gaur revealed.
To overcome this problem of the waitlisted train tickets and with a view to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and also ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation, the IRCTC (Indian Railways and Catering and Tourism Corporation) in 2015, came up with the concept of VIKALP, also known as ATAS (Alternate Train Accommodation System). The VIKALP scheme aims to provide confirmed accommodation to the waitlisted passengers the seats being subject to availability. This facility is extended to all the express and mail trains.
As the name suggests VIKALP; a passenger has to give an option of other trains at the time of booking of the ticket and those passengers, subject to availability of vacant seats. The Scheme allows booking in all waiting lists of passengers irrespective of booking quota and concession. Only those whose seats have not been confirmed after the preparation of the chart are considered for VIKALP.
A passenger can opt for a maximum of seven trains for VIKALP and this can be updated only once. The passenger can choose the alternate trains departing between 30 minutes to 72 hours from the time of departure of the actual train from the station.
Passengers opting for VIKALP should note that the originating and terminating stations may change. The changing stations however would be in close proximity to the stations chosen while booking the original ticket.
When a passenger who has been allotted alternate accommodation has not performed his journey on the alternate train, he can claim for a refund by filing a TDR request.
A passenger allotted an alternate seat/berth is not allowed to board the original waitlisted train. Once a VIKALP passenger has been allotted alternate accommodation, the modification of the journey is not permitted.
Passengers opting for VIKALP are requested to keep checking the PNR status to stay updated on the allotment of seats.
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