Chandigarh, January 28
Railway reservation just got easier with the postal authorities and the Railways joining hands to launch another public-friendly initiative to facilitate booking of rail tickets.
Residents of Panchkula can now book their railway tickets at the Sector 8 post office instead of having to go all the way to the railway station in Chandigarh. The facility would be inaugurated at the General Post Office, Sector 8, Panchkula, tomorrow.
By next month, it would be available at two post offices in Gurgaon and the main post office in Faridabad. Similarly, the facility would be extended to the post offices in Punjab as well.
The senior superintendent, Postal division, Ambala, RC Sharma, said their office was all set to offer the facility. “Our server has been connected to the central server at the railway station. Anybody
wanting a ticket can come to us at the post office, fill up a form as is done at the railway station and take home a ticket,” he explained.
Two employees of the department have been especially trained for the job and a special counter set up for the purpose. Sharma added that four or five such post offices had been identified in every state to facilitate the public and offer hassle-free ticket bookings. “Though we will be operational from Panchkula tomorrow, one such booking counter was inaugurated in Gurgaon earlier this month and is doing good business. With this, we are hoping that the rush at ticket counters at the main railway station will slowly be spread out and long queues will become history,” he stated.
On tomorrow’s function, he said the chief post master general, Haryana circle, Prithvi Raj Kumar, and divisional rail manager, Ambala division, Harjit Jaggi, will throw open the facility for the public while the paraphernalia of time-table boards and the rest shall follow subsequently.
