Railways to revamp tatkal scheme

New Delhi, July 3 : Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said the 'tatkal' window will be reduced from five days to two days and the minimum service fee under the scheme will be slashed to Rs.100 from 150.

The 'tatkal', or instant ticketing scheme, is a service which facilitates people - who have not planned their journey in advance nor done reservation of tickets - to purchase reserved berth tickets a day or two before the journey but at a premium.

Banerjee made the proposal to modify the 'tatkal' scheme while presenting her ministry's budget for 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha.

Former railway minister Lalu Prasad had allocated additional berths in each coach for 'tatkal' tickets aimed at increasing the railways' revenues.

According to railway officials, Lalu Prasad's move shot up the revenue significantly, with the the carrier earning over Rs.500 crore through 'tatkal' bookings 2008-09, comparing to Rs.200 crore in 2006-07.

--IANS