Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 18 June 2024
The Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS) launched its highly anticipated online ship ticketing portal on April 17, 2023, aiming to streamline the ship ticket booking process and provide convenience to citizens. According to the DSS website, tickets can be booked online from 9 AM to 4 PM daily.
Residents of Car Nicobar have informed Nicobar Times that staff at the STARS Ticketing Counter are allegedly reserving Deluxe and Cabin tickets for acquaintances and allegedly for those willing to pay extra money before the official booking time of 9 AM on each day when ticket booking for a fresh sailing from Car Nicobar to Port Blair opens. This practice leaves no Deluxe and Cabin tickets available for the general public to book online.
Nicobar Times has obtained substantial proof supporting these claims. Copies of tickets (available with Nicobar Times) issued by the STARS Ticketing Counter on Friday, June 14, 2024, show a timestamp indicating they were issued before 9 AM. These tickets were for the sailing of M.V Kalighat from Car Nicobar to Port Blair, scheduled for June 20, 2024. Additionally, screenshots of the DSS Ticketing Website taken on the same day confirm a decreasing number of available Deluxe and Cabin tickets prior to the 9 AM booking time.
The DSS Portal only allows for tickets to be booked online from 9 Am everyday, but STARS Ticketing Counter at Car Nicobar issues all Cabin and Deluxe Tickets before 9 Am on the day when ticket booking for a fresh sailing from Car Nicobar to Port Blair opens, leaving no Cabin and Deluxe Tickets for the citizens to book online. These cabin and deluxe tickets are issued by the STARS ticketing counter staff to their near and dear ones and allegedly also to those who are willing to pay a premium, The premium earned by issuing these Cabin and Deluxe Tickets allegedly goes into the pockets of the two staffs deputed at STARS Ticketing Counter in Car Nicobar.
The following PDF File shows three cabin tickets issued by STARS Ticketing Counter at Car Nicobar on 14th June 2024 prior to 9 Am for M.V Kalighat Scheduled to sail from Car Nicobar to Port Blair on 20th June 2024, for which booking of tickets only opened on 14th June 2024 (time of issuing tickets is clearly visible):
The following slideshow of Screenshots show the number of decreasing Cabin and Deluxe Tickets prior to 9 Am on 14th of June 2024 for M.V Kalighat Scheduled to sail from Car Nicobar to Port Blair on 20th June 2024, for which ticket booking opened only on 14th of June 2024. (Please note the time on the Left Hand Corner of the Screenshot and see the decreasing number of Cabin and Deluxe Tickets from 8:44 to 08:56):
(Swipe Left to See Next Screenshot on Mobile Device)
This alleged misconduct by the STARS Counter staff undermines the purpose of the online ticketing system, which was introduced to ensure fairness and accessibility for all citizens. Residents are calling on DSS to take immediate action against employees violating these policies and to enforce stricter controls to prevent early ticket reservations (prior to 9 Am) at the STARS Ticketing Counters.
The introduction of the online ship ticketing portal was meant to revolutionise the ticket booking process and enhance convenience for citizens. However, the reported actions of some DSS staff threaten to compromise these improvements.
DSS is urged to investigate these allegations thoroughly and implement measures to ensure that the new system functions as intended, providing equal access to ship tickets for all residents.
Not only this the DSS doesn’t release all tickets online only about 40-50% tickets were available online for a fresh sailing. Why? In my knowledge only few tickets are kept aside for VIP & medical quota, but 50% tickets is too much to be kept reserved. I request DSS to practise fair ticketing. Also this matter needs to be probe and inquiry should be there for the same.
Same practice is going on at port Blair. This undesirable practice is required to be put an end.
Need to terminate such staff those miss using their position.