Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur

Puttur, Apr 20: A surprising lapse in the railway ticketing system at Kabaka-Puttur station has resulted in passengers travelling free of cost to Subrahmanya, causing lacs of rupees in losses to the Railways department.

Recently, the Mangaluru-Kabaka Puttur passenger train service was extended up to Subrahmanya. The train departs from Mangaluru at 4 am and reaches Kabaka-Puttur by 5.20 am. However, the ticket counter at the station opens only at 8 am, leaving early morning passengers bound for Subrahmanya without a means to purchase tickets.

As a result, a large number of passengers are boarding the train without tickets. Sources allege that the absence of a ticketing facility is being used as a pretext to justify low passenger numbers and eventually halt the service.

On Thursday night, hundreds of devotees from Subrahmanya who had attended the Brahmarathotsava at Puttur’s Mahalingeshwara Temple returned early morning via this train. With the ticket counter closed, most of them boarded the train without tickets. Except for a few who booked through the UTS mobile app, over 400 passengers reportedly travelled without tickets.

Witnesses also noted that ticket inspections are not being conducted efficiently during early morning services, further exacerbating the revenue loss.

Passengers have urged railway authorities to immediately resolve the issue and deploy staff to issue tickets in the early hours to prevent continued losses and ensure accountability.