Paperless Ticketing System for Rajdhani and Shatabdi Trains.

According to a news published in well known Hindi newspaper 'Dainik Bhaskar' today (29th May), the passengers of Rajdhani and Satabdi trains will not get any paper tickets possibly from July this year, rather they will receive their tickets on their mobile phones to save papers. So far so good.

Here is the link http://www.bhaskar.com/news-ht/UT-DEL-HMU-NEW-rajdhani-shatabdi-trains-to-have-paperless-ticketing-system-5006596-NOR.html

But further readings on the news reveals that passengers have to download an app developed by 'Centre for Railway Information Systems' on their mobile to avail tickets for those trains. According to the news Railway Board Member (Traffic) Ajay Shukla said paperless ticketing through mobile apps will be introduced gradually for other trains to both reserved and unreserved categories.

While they did not use the terminology 'smartphone' but anyone can guess that a smartphone with 3G Internet connection that can download apps from Internet is needed in this case to travel in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains from July. A normal mobile phone would help in this case. Nowhere in the news they gave slightest indication that suggests this will be an 'optional' feature for the passengers who owns a smartphone and not for all.

Now I have few questions.

1. Does that mean, every passengers who wants to travel with Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains must be a proud owner of a Smartphone?
2. What will happen to people who cannot afford or use a smartphone but need to travel on above trains on borrowed money in event of emergency like death or accident of a family member or any other issue for that matter.
3. What's wrong with the present system by which every online user get an SMS of ticket details on whatever mobile phone they have and saves the paper? Why that system cannot be applied to booking counters and smartphons are needed?
4. Does that mean, every citizens of India who wants to travel with Indian Railways in future in any class in any train must buy a smartphone just because they cannot buy a ticket without having a high-tech device?
5. What will happen to poor citizens of India? What will happen to citizens who cannot use a smartphone?
6. What will happen to most of the senior citizens who don't want to use smartphone due to its complexity and small texts not suitable to their eyes?
7. What will happen to the people like our office peon 'Kishore' who cannot afford a smartphone but at times travels with Shatabdi trains for faster movement on office works obviously on company's expenses?
8. Does that mean Government is indirectly forcing all Indian citizens to buy smartphones?
9. Does this indicate some conspiracy theory? Not long ago I read the news 'Indian smartphone manufacturers are united to fight Apple in Indian market'. Does that association have any role behind this autocratic decision? more