Train passengers’ plight in city

SHILLONG: The railway passenger reservation system counters at the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) building here always remain short of reservation/cancellation requisition forms.
Those availing tickets from the three counters located at the ground floor of the MTC building have to either carry a rough sketch of their relevant reservation details neatly written in a piece of plain paper or have to rely on the mercy of the counters to dish out paper to fill up the requisition.
It has also been seen that passengers are forced to ask for pieces of paper from their co-passengers or from other counters and even nearby stalls.
The non-availability of requisition forms also means that passengers make inadvertent errors in providing the required information irritating the clerks at the counters.
A lot has changed over the years in the system of booking railway tickets, more so with the coming of online booking. However, online booking comes at an extra cost which can be avoided if the tickets are purchased directly from the counters.
Some passengers also suggested putting up a pro forma outside the counters so that passengers can fill up the blank paper accordingly. However, the same is yet to materialize.
However, one thing that has not changed in these counters is the interrupted internet linking. Quite often the counters go dry for want of link as ticket availability and their printing are solely dependent on the national picture.