Passengers in tizzy after not getting OTP for Railway ticket refund

Kolkata: Tour operators are in a fix after several train passengers complained that they are not receiving OTP (One time Password) for the refund of their e-tickets.

"We received a notification on September 25, 2019, mentioning that an OTP will be required for the refund of money for cancelled tickets. Especially, Tatkal waiting list customers are not receiving OTP for the refund of their e-tickets. We are calling up the customer care to get the OTP generated for the refund of train tickets," said Mohammad Tanvir of New City Travels.

E-tickets (online tickets booked through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited or IRCTC portal or by tour operator) can be cancelled online till the chart is prepared.

Earlier, the refund money was credited to the account that was used for booking online tickets (after deduction of applicable cancellation charges). The cancellation charges vary depending upon the type of coaches of the trains. Rs 240 is deducted for AC First Class /Executive Class, Rs 200 for AC 2 Tier/First Class, Rs 180 for AC 3 Tier/AC Chair car/AC 3 Economy, Rs 120 INR for Sleeper Class and Rs 60 for Second Class.

"I travel frequently by train. I recently cancelled a train ticket. I didn't receive an OTP for my refund. I went to my travel agent and they called up the customer care number and got the OTP generated on the travel agent's number. After that I got my money back," said Rakesh Kumar Thar, an advocate and resident of Picnic Garden.

Indian Railways introduced a new OTP-based refund system for tickets booked through authorised railway ticketing agents.

The new system has been implemented by Indian Railways PSU and IRCTC. The OTP will be received as SMS on the registered mobile number of the passenger (provided by the customer/passenger to the agent at the time of booking). The customer is required to share the OTP with the agent, who booked the ticket, to get the refund.

"We have heard that passengers are not receiving OTP for the refund of e-tickets," said B K Das of Explore 2 Odisha.