Dear Sir,

I would like to inform you about the corruption activities happening in Gorakhpur railway station. This is what I have been through:

My name is Mr. Sithar Kumar Nair, Age 28. I am an NRI living in U.A.E. On my travel from Nepal to India, I stayed in Gorakhpur Railway Station Resting House on the night of 7th March 2010. I asked the person in charge for reservations if they have a single non A/c room. He said \"go check room # 3 & 6\". They had a list of rates for the rooms. I walked upstairs to check the rooms. Room 3 was locked but room 6 was open. I decided to stay in room # 6. While walking out, the reservation person was waiting outside the room. I told him that I liked room # 6. As I started walking along with him to the reservation area he wanted to pay cash then itself. I paid him 150 Rupees per the list. He started asking for more. I was surprised by this. I told him that the list says its 150 Rupees. He was like it was 100 before its 150 now & I need more. I ended up paying him 200 Rupees. Although I paid more, he didn\'t arrange for a door lock. I bought separate one myself. I thought of complaining at the Railway Station. There was no box to put complaints. There was Station Master room but he wasn\'t there.

Also, I have witnessed the TTE\'s in duty on the 8th March 2010 on Gorakhpur-Yashwanthpur Express were asking for bribe openly in front of passengers. I was travelling in S1 Coach, seat # 6. When the train stops at any stop, the TTE would stand out, see who just gets into the sleeper coach. Then as the train starts to depart, he would climb up & ask for bribe. One very irritating incident took place on the morning of 8th March 2010 at Lucknow Station. A lady in dark sun glass got into our S1 berth & took seat. There were already 15 people in place of 8 seats in a section of the coach (seats 1-8). When the TTE asked her for reservation ticket she offered him 50 Rupees bribe straight-a-way. TTE started asking for 100. The lady told him that she knows his seniors and all then offered him 50 rupees which he happily accepted. Such incidents kept happening even on 9th March 2010 in stations like Secunderabad etc.

One more thing I would like to bring up here in the abovementioned train is a long journey one with travel time of 51 hours still the train doesn\'t have a pantry with it. People were stranded thristy & were running for water wherever & whenever the train will stop.

It feels sad that such dignified people who have duty towards the nation use their authority to fool passengers. Such bribe takers should be punished severly.

I hope you would take serious action against such crooks.

Thank you.

Sithar Kumar Nair
Dubai