NEW DELHI: Soon Aadhaar authentication will be compulsory for booking Tatkal tickets both online and at counters, railway officials said.Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Use of e-Aadhaar authentication to book Tatkal tickets will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need.”The move is also aimed at eliminating the scope of agents booking tickets when the window opens only for passengers.Currently, out of around 13 crore users registered with IRCTC, the railways ticketing and catering arm, only 1.2 crore are Aadhaar authenticated. “We will start a campaign urging people to complete online Aadhaar authentication. Those booking tickets at counters will need to give Aadhaar number of the main passenger,” said a source.At present, the window for Tatkal bookings for passengers opens from 10 am to 10.10 am for AC and 11 am to 11.10 am for non-AC tickets respectively. Now this window will be extended by another 10 minutes.For agents, the window is open between 10.10 am and 10.20 am for AC and from 11.10 am to 11.20 am for non-AC.“To further enhance fairness and efficiency, new user protocols have been introduced. Users not authenticated via Aadhaar can book advance, Tatkal or premium Tatkal tickets only after three days of registration, while Aadhaar-verified users can book tickets without delay,” a railway spokesperson said.
