New Delhi: Those having IRCTC account can book e-tickets for others. The reports circulating on social media regarding restrictions in booking e-tickets due to different surnames are false and misleading, clarified a spokesperson for the railway ministry said on Tuesday.
Responding to numerous posts on the social media platform “X”, formerly twitter, which claimed that an IRCTC account holder cannot book tickets from his account for others having different surnames, the spokesperson said, “The news in circulation on social media about restriction in booking of e-tickets due to different surname is false and misleading.”
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In a statement, the railway spokesperson further informed that tickets are booked on the IRCTC website in accordance with Railway Board guidelines and information regarding these guidelines is available in the public domain.
As per the Indian Railways guidelines, one can book tickets through his personal User ID for friends, family and relatives. Anyone can book up to 12 tickets per month from an individual’s account. And if the account-holder is Aadhar-authenticated, he or she can book 24 tickets per month, provided at least one of the travellers on each ticket is also Aadhar-authenticated.
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“Tickets booked on personal user IDs are not meant for commercial sale and such an act is an offence under section 143 of Railways Act, 1989,” the spokesperson added.
The booking of e-tickets has gone up massively after the Covid-pandemic period. In view of the decreasing footfalls at railway stations for booking reserved tickets, the India Railways has also slashed down the number of counters for manual bookings.