The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched an ambitious technology-driven push aimed at tackling two persistent challenges facing the Railway ecosystem: fraudulent ticket bookings and food safety concerns. Through a combination of account verification measures, cybercrime monitoring and artificial intelligence-powered surveillance, the organisation hopes to make train travel more secure and reliable for millions of passengers.
Massive crackdown targets suspicious ticket bookings
According to Daily Jagran, in one of its largest anti-fraud drives to date, IRCTC has deactivated more than 30 million user accounts suspected of being involved in irregular ticket booking activities. Another 60 million accounts have been placed under verification, taking the total number of monitored accounts to nearly 90 million.
Officials say the exercise is designed to curb the misuse of the ticketing platform by touts, automated software and organised networks that often corner large numbers of tickets before genuine passengers can access them. The move comes amid growing concerns over fraudulent bookings and cyber-enabled scams targeting railway users.
The crackdown has extended beyond account verification. Authorities have filed hundreds of complaints linked to lakhs of suspicious passenger reservation records on the National Cybercrime Portal. Thousands of questionable email domains have also been blocked in an effort to prevent misuse of the booking ecosystem.
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Smart cameras become new hygiene inspectors
According to Daily Jagran, while tightening controls on ticketing, IRCTC is also turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to improve food quality and hygiene standards. More than 2,300 AI-enabled cameras have now been installed across over 800 Railway kitchens serving passengers across the country.
The cameras are programmed to identify a range of hygiene violations in real time. They can detect whether kitchen staff are wearing protective headgear and gloves, monitor cleanliness practices and even spot pests such as rats, flies and cockroaches.
Officials say the system uses machine learning to analyse CCTV footage continuously and identify deviations from standard operating procedures. The technology allows managers to receive alerts almost instantly when a violation is detected.
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Real-time alerts drive quicker corrective action
One of the key advantages of the AI system is its ability to ensure rapid intervention. Once an issue is flagged, alerts are sent to relevant personnel for immediate action. If the problem remains unresolved, the matter is escalated to supervisors who can initiate disciplinary measures.
According to Daily Jagran, failure to wear headgear remains the most common violation detected across kitchens. On an average day, hundreds of alerts are generated, helping authorities maintain consistent oversight across a vast catering network.
Having served hundreds of millions of meals during the last financial year, IRCTC believes technology will play an increasingly important role in maintaining service standards. As the railway network continues to grow, the corporation is expected to further expand its use of artificial intelligence to strengthen both passenger trust and operational efficiency.
