The genuine passengers are still suffering at the reservation counters at the main railway station of the State capital due to the non-functioning of the Biometric palm impression based token vending machine installed there.
While installing such machines at the railway station, the railways had claimed that this would help the genuine passengers in getting reservations and the check the touts. However, the machines installed are issuing multiple tokens on the same palm impression.
While the main objective behind installing the palm impression based vending machine was to prevent multiple tokens and black marketing of the tickets, instead the machine is working completely opposite to the objective.
The vending machine is now benefiting the agents as they get multiple tokens for their multiple reservation forms. Citizens have to suffer as they have to wait in long queues to get tokens and then for reservation.
Notably, the first Biometric palm impression based token system was installed in the Bhopal railway station in 2012 with an aim to nail the agents, prevent black marketing of reserved tickets and to improve the ticket distribution system
An applicant requires submitting a token with a reservation or cancellation form and a person is allotted one token only. Vending machine is meant to let just one person get one token as with his palm impression he would not be able to get more than one token.
The token vending machines were purchased for over Rs 15 lakh each and were installed at the Bhopal railway station on September 1, 2012. The West-Central Railway has planned to install similar machines at the Habibganj railway station as well.
Sunil Mishra, a businessman from state capital, who had visited the counter for reservation on Tuesday said, even before the reservation counter opens agents queue up to get tokens, agents take large number of tokens that forces the citizens for long time to get reservation.
It is not the first time when the vending machine has created trouble, in January this year, two of the vending machines broke down due to which passengers had to stand in long queues.
Bhopal Railway Division Public Relation Officer (PRO) KK Dubey said that the problem with the token vending machine has come into notice of the concerned officers. The technical problems with the vending machines will be sorted out within ten days.