'Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sewak' scheme made flexible

New Delhi, Sep.6 (ANI): The Ministry of Railways has modified the existing scheme of Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sewak (JTBS), thereby giving more benefits to the operators.

The step has been undertaken with the objective to improve dispensation of unreserved tickets in city area.

The scheme with new guidelines has become effective from August 26, 2010, said an official release on Monday.

As per the new guidelines of the scheme, the JTBS operators may be allowed to renew season tickets. Each season ticket is to be treated as a single ticket/single passenger for the purpose of levy of service charge.

Service charges to be realized by JTBS shall be Rs. one per passenger instead of Rs.1 per ticket.

As per the stipulation of new guidelines, bank guarantee has also been reduced to ' 20,000/- from ' 40,000/- and Security Deposit has been reduced to ' 5,000/- from existing '15,000/-.

JTBS operators may be permitted to operate one additional counter provided the sale of tickets is more than 800 per day on each counter for at least a period of one month.

Also, the JTBS operators may be allowed to shift from the original location to a new location at one's own cost with a view to increase sale of tickets.

These instructions will be applicable to all JTBSs including those who are existing JTBS licensee and also those who are appointed as out come of the ongoing selection process.

In this regard, the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, has been asked to make necessary modification in the software accordingly.

The Ministry of Railways introduced this scheme in 2008 with a view to appoint Jan Sadharan Ticket Booking Sewaks in various parts of important cities for issue of unreserved tickets through Computerized Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS), the official stated. (ANI)