Mangaluru
Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division plans to empanel approximately 300 facilitators to aid passengers in purchasing unreserved tickets through automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) using smart cards at railway stations within the Division, including 30 facilitators in two stations of the Mangaluru region.
The facilitators will be empanelled for one year, with the option to renew the contract at the discretion of the Railway Ministry. Empanelment does not constitute regular employment. Facilitators can earn revenue through a 3 percent bonus payable on every ticket dispensed through ATVMs, according to a notification from the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager.
Mangaluru Central Railway Station requires 21 facilitators to manage five ATVMs, while Mangaluru Junction Station needs nine facilitators for one ATVM operational round-the-clock. The decision to empanel facilitators comes as a response to the low usage of ATVMs by passengers, who instead queue up at unreserved ticket issuing counters.
Although some retired Railway employees currently manage the ATVMs, officials state they are unwilling to work round-the-clock or adapt to requirements. Therefore, the Ministry permits the general public to become facilitators, with a requirement for security deposits of Rs 50,000 for NSG2 category stations and Rs 25,000 for NSG3 and below categories. Mangaluru Stations fall under NSG3 category.
Preference will be given to retired employees in the empanelment process, and they are also permitted to nominate a family member, spouse, or child as assistants. However, this option is not available to the general public. Selected facilitators will work on a rotation basis as deployed by the station in-charge.
