Indian Railways has taken strict and comprehensive measures to control the huge crowd of homebound passengers in trains on the occasion of Diwali and Chhath Puja, the great festival of folk faith, and to prevent untoward incidents like stampedes at stations. Northern Railway has imposed a complete temporary ban on the sale of platform tickets at the six busiest railway stations of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) till November 14. Along with this, strict restrictions have also been imposed on parcel handling and parcel booking activities at stations. The main objective of Northern Railway Administration is to ensure movement of only genuine railway passengers on the main premises and platforms of the stations, so that passengers do not face unnecessary obstructions and crowding in reaching their assigned bogies. This new security protocol of Railways has become effective from 3rd November and will remain strictly enforced till midnight of 14th November. Which 6 major stations were banned? All ticket counters will remain closed here during the festive season. The list of six major stations of Northern Railway where the sale of platform tickets has been stopped with immediate effect is as follows: New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) Old Delhi Railway Station / Delhi Junction (DLI) Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station (NZM) Anand Vihar Terminal (ANVT) Anand Vihar Halt Ghaziabad Railway Station (GZB) Railways has clarified that this ban is not limited to the normal physical ticket counters of the station only, but also in the station premises. The facility of issuing platform tickets for these stations on the installed Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs) and Railway's Mobile App (UTS App) has also been completely blocked. During this period, only those passengers who have a valid and confirmed train ticket will be allowed to enter the platform area of the station. These categories will get special relaxation on humanitarian grounds: Who will be able to access the platform? According to Northern Railway officials, despite the complete ban on the general public, relaxation from this rule has been given to the family members coming to the aid of certain categories of passengers on humanitarian grounds. One attendant or attendant of the following passengers will be allowed access to the platform after verification by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and commercial authorities: Senior Citizens: Attendants who come to assist elderly passengers aged 60 years and above. Persons with Disabilities (PwD): Accompanying passengers who are physically disabled or use a wheelchair. Solo Female Passenger: Female passengers traveling with small children or who require help carrying heavy luggage. Sick or illiterate passengers: Sick, visually impaired passengers or passengers who are unable to understand the condition of the train and coach. The security forces deployed at the station entrance will issue appropriate passes or permissions in such cases after investigation, so that the needy passengers do not face any inconvenience. Strict restrictions have also been imposed on parcel booking and loading-unloading. To ensure that the movement of passengers is not disrupted due to piles of luggage and parcel trolleys on the platforms, Northern Railway has also imposed strict time-bound restrictions on parcel services: New Delhi, Old Delhi and Anand Vihar Terminal: Departmental parcel booking at these three stations will remain completely closed from November 3 to November 15. Apart from this, the ban on loading-unloading of all types of leased parcel vans (Leased SLRs/VPs) and demand VPs will remain in force till November 15. However, parcel loading from the washing line and stabling line of Anand Vihar Terminal has been exempted from this restriction. Hazrat Nizamuddin Station: Special ban has been imposed on parcel booking, loading and unloading at Nizamuddin station from November 5 to November 8, while regular operations will continue from VP Siding. Personal Luggage Allowed: Passengers will have complete freedom to carry permitted personal luggage with them in the coach. Keeping in mind the public safety standards, special permission has been given to booking of only registered newspapers and magazines. Permanent Holding Area at New Delhi Station: Capacity of 7 thousand passengers A grand 'Permanent Passenger Holding Area' (Yatri Suvidha Kendra) has been started on the Ajmeri Gate side (outside Platform 16) of New Delhi Railway Station to control the flow of passengers. In this huge holding area, seating and accommodation arrangements have been made for more than 7,000 passengers at a time. Instead of going directly to the platform, passengers are being stopped in this holding area first. From here, passengers are being sent towards the platform in a systematic manner as per the fixed time of arrival of the train on the platform, so that there is no jostling on the stairs, foot-over bridge (FOB) and coach doors. The center has more than 150 toilets, free RO drinking water, ticket and inquiry counters, bag scanners for security checks and additional deployment of RPF personnel. Important advisory of Railways for the passengers: In view of the festive rush, the Railway Administration has appealed to the passengers to reach the station at least 1 to 1.5 hours before the scheduled departure of the train. Avoid bringing unnecessary family members along to leave the station. Passengers should get information about their coach position and train platform number in advance through National Train Inquiry System (NTES) or helpline number 139, so that unnecessary rush in the station premises can be avoided. This arrangement of Railways will continue till 14th November till the completion of the main journey of Chhath festival.
