After hitting the ordinary people at the petrol pumps across the nation as price per liter of gasoline hit the Rs. 100-barrier for the first time in the Indian history, the Modi government hit ‘aam aadmi’ again on Friday when the Railway Ministry announced raising the price of platform tickets from Rs. 10 to a whopping Rs. 30.
Defending its decision, the ministry said the move was ‘temporary’ and a common practice that has been in use for many decades.
“This is just a temporary measure and has been taken in the interest and safety of the passengers to prevent overcrowding at railway stations in view of the Coronavirus pandemic,” said a memo from the Railway Ministry.
Also, in the ‘interest’ of the passengers, the Indian Railways has raised the fare of many local and short-distance passenger trains to minimize crowd in them, the memo said adding the practice of raising the price of the platform tickets was a common practice and had been used in the past on many occasions as a short-term crowd control measure.
“There is nothing new about it,” the announcement said.
