The Railways’ web traffic filtering technique using a complex captcha with a wavy strikeout pattern is forcing many senior citizens to stay on the sidelines during this festival season unable to take advantage of the tatkal booking service.
Many of those who failed to complete the booking online alleged that the high-security method to avoid spammers is pushing genuine users out of the network.
“Even a young passenger with a very good eyesight will have to struggle to crack the strange pattern of the captcha. It is a survival of the fittest in this frantic online run,” said N.C. Rajendran, a Vadakara native who has experienced the difficulty many times. He pointed out that senior citizens who make use of the IRCTC mobile application are those who mainly fall at the first hurdle.
Mr. Rajendran felt that the complicated math captchas come as another ordeal for many amidst all the other challenges for securing a ticket. “One has to enter multiple passwords and one time passwords apart from complying with the captcha challenge. All these happen amidst frequent invalid captcha error messages and unexpected session log outs. I don’t know why a passenger should go through such a tedious process to get a ticket,” he said.
Sheela Damodaran, a retired teacher from Thiruvangoor said she was now in a situation to seek the help of others. “Only those who frequently use the online booking service can survive the challenge. For the majority, it’s quite a tough task,” she added.
The functionaries of the Confederation of All India Rail Users Association (CAIRUA) said the complicated captcha and other web traffic filtering techniques were just some of the cunning methods to screen out common passengers and encourage only their “smart” counterparts. They also feel that the Railways’ tatkal booking system is actually widening the digital divide.
“Along with the captcha challenge, there is a kind of unfair online ticket trade with no proper consideration for the senior citizens. The quota of costly premium tatkal tickets is high now when passengers struggle to secure the usual tatkal tickets,” said C.E. Chakkunni, working chairman of the confederation. He pointed out that the dynamic pricing introduced in the booking system has been troubling many passengers who seek a cost-effective journey.
On the other hand, Railway authorities pointed out that complicated captcha and other web traffic filtering methods were not meant to isolate any particular segment of passengers. It is a globally accepted screening method to save the website from sudden crashing, and things may change with the entry of other enhanced options, they said.
