Sri Vijaya Puram, September 6: The Unorganised Workers and Employees Congress, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to upgrade the existing online and advance shipping ticketing system into a Real-Time Online Shipping Reservation System, similar to modern railway reservation facilities.
In a representation addressed to the Chief Secretary, Mr. S. Tejeswara Rao (Teja), Chairman of the Unorganised Workers and Employees Congress, stated that the introduction of online ticketing by the Directorate of Shipping Services was a welcome and progressive step. However, based on observations over the past few months, he said there was a need to further improve the system, particularly with regard to cancelled tickets and last-minute seat availability.
According to the representation, tickets are often fully booked well in advance. When passengers subsequently cancel their tickets, the vacant seats are not always reflected immediately in the online system. Such seats may become available only at the last moment through ticket counters, leaving many genuine passengers, particularly those from remote islands, unaware of the availability and forcing them to wait for the next sailing. At the same time, vessels may sail with vacant passenger capacity.
The Congress leader proposed that the existing system be upgraded with real-time seat availability, immediate updating and re-release of cancelled tickets, waiting-list and passenger notification facilities, and last-minute online booking of vacant seats, preferably up to one or two hours before sailing, subject to operational requirements.
He also called for complete integration of all ticket counters with a central online system so that seat availability is updated uniformly and passengers do not have to depend on physical counters to obtain information about newly available seats.
The representation further suggested that necessary provisions for genuine medical, death-related and other emergency travel could continue separately so that emergency passengers are not affected by the proposed changes.
Mr. Rao said the issue could be addressed effectively under the present Shipping leadership, noting that the concerned official had earlier served as Deputy Commissioner in two districts of the Islands and therefore had first-hand knowledge of the difficulties faced by remote island communities. He added that he had also travelled with him to remote islands and personally witnessed his practical approach and timely decision-making.
Urging the Chief Secretary to intervene and review the existing system in the larger interest of residents, unorganised workers and the public, Rao said such a reform would greatly benefit Islanders, particularly those living in remote areas, while also ensuring better utilisation of available passenger capacity.
