@AshwiniVaishnaw @IRCTCofficial
Complaint Regarding Misconduct and Irregularities During My Journey on Vande Bharat Express
Dear Sir,
Vande Bharat is the pride of India, and I am happy to see such world-class trains operating in our country. However, I would like to bring to your notice a very unpleasant experience that my wife and I faced during our journey yesterday.
We were traveling from Vadodara (Baroda) to Valsad on Vande Bharat Express. Unfortunately, our tickets were not confirmed. Since we had to travel urgently, we boarded the train with the intention of paying the applicable penalty and fare as per railway rules.
After boarding at Vadodara, I contacted the Ticket Collector (TC), who asked us to wait while he checked seat availability. At that time, a special checking squad was present on the train. One of the officers asked me about my destination, and I informed him that we were traveling to Valsad. He immediately asked me to pay the penalty. I agreed without hesitation and clearly informed him that there were two passengers, myself and my wife.
However, he issued a receipt for only one passenger and collected ₹2,500 from me, whereas the amount shown on the receipt was ₹2,180. When I asked for the balance amount, he stated that he did not have change and would return it later. Unfortunately, he never came back and did not refund the remaining amount.
Later, I approached the train attendant, Mr. Salunke, and requested him to regularize my wife's journey and allot us seats if available. However, he neither issued any receipt nor properly addressed my request. During the journey, I observed him allotting seats to several other passengers who were also traveling without reservations. When I questioned why seats were being allotted to others but not to us, he replied that he had already allotted a seat to my wife.
Thereafter, he demanded ₹2,000 from me without issuing any receipt. I requested him to provide an official receipt if any payment was required, but he refused and left the area.
In addition, I informed one of the officers from the special checking squad that a passenger occupying Seat No. 6 was traveling without a reservation. However, the officer refused to take any action and simply walked away without even listening to my concern.
I am deeply disappointed by the conduct of the officials involved. As a passenger, I was willing to comply with all railway regulations and pay the required charges. Instead, I experienced a lack of transparency, possible overcharging, demands for cash without receipts, and indifferent behavior from railway staff.
I request that this matter be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action be taken against the concerned officials. I would also appreciate clarification regarding the excess amount collected from me and the conduct of the staff members involved.