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To curb the menace of touts during Tatkal ticket bookings, Indian Railways has taken a major decision regarding window Tatkal tickets. During booking, passengers will receive an OTP, which must be shared with the clerk at the window. The ticket will then be booked. The pilot project has been completed. According to the Railway Ministry, this system will be implemented on all trains across the country within the next few days.

Indian Railways is fully implementing the OTP-based system for Tatkal counter tickets on all trains soon. This aims to prevent misuse of the Tatkal facility and the influence of touts, while also ensuring easy access to genuine tickets for ordinary passengers. In July this year, the Railways made Aadhaar-based linking mandatory for online Tatkal booking.

Pilot Project Completed

Indian Railways began a pilot project on November 17, 2025. OTP was made mandatory for only 52 trains, and it has been quite successful. Consequently, this system is being implemented on all trains. The date will be announced soon.

This is how booking will work:
When making a reservation at the window, passengers must enter their mobile number in the reservation form. If they book a Tatkal ticket, an OTP will be sent to their mobile number. The employee at the window will ask for the OTP, and the ticket will be confirmed only after entering it.

This way, they will get rid of touts:
This will completely stop the activities of touts, as tickets cannot be issued without the actual passenger's mobile number. In the next few days, this OTP system will also be implemented on Tatkal counter tickets for all remaining trains. Indian Railways believes that this step will greatly help in ensuring that Tatkal quota tickets reach truly needy passengers.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.