While travelling on Indian railways can occasionally be unpleasant for us, for travellers and explorers from other areas of the world, it was a brand-new experience. For this reason, a lot of visitors visit India solely to ride the Indian Railways.
Indian railways are popular among both foreigners and citizens of India because of their affordability and extensive network, which passes through a variety of landscapes and natural beauties.
Even while most train travel is relatively affordable, occasionally we could have to spend a lot, even for peeing, because of ambiguous situations and misunderstandings. Similar circumstances occurred lately with the British tourists at the Agra Railway Station, which afterwards became one of the most widely discussed topics in the nation.
However, IRCTC has finally addressed all of this and dispelled all of the misunderstandings. So let’s find out what truly occurred first:
British tourists were charged Rs 224 for using the toilet at the railway station
Most travellers have paid $5 or $10 at some point to use a public lavatory, but for two British tourists, it was an expensive experience. They assert that they were charged Rs 224 by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to use the Executive Lounge restroom at the Agra Cantonment railway station.
Travellers leaving the British Embassy in New Delhi discovered they each had to pay Rs. 112 to use the restroom at the Agra Cantt. Lounge, which brought attention to the problem.
The British visitors approached their tour guide, IC Shrivastava, for directions, and he sent them to the restroom.
Media reports claim that the final price included a Goods and Services Tax, or GST, of 12% (split in half) over the lounge cost, in what appears to be the first case of its kind.
Many people are commenting on this news on social media because it was covered by some of the most prominent media outlets in the nation.
Why do they have to pay more than usual?
Despite only using the urinals and spending five minutes inside, reports claim that visitors to Agra were had to pay Rs 224 (for two individuals) to use the restroom at the Agra Cantt Railway Station. IRCTC has since corrected this, asserting that every aspect of the incident was wrongly presented by the media.
Although it appeared a little unreasonable to charge Rs. 112 for individuals to urinate, an IRCTC official clarified that the charge was for using the lounge’s services. According to the lounge manager, a minimum purchase price of Rs. 112 is necessary after a 50% discount.
IRCTC stated that access to the Executive Lounge requires payment of Rs. 200 per person, per two hours, plus 12% GST.
All amenities available in the air-conditioned executive lounge, including TV, plush chairs, complimentary water, WiFi, beverages (tea and coffee), and toilets, are included in the prices. Travellers are free to use any or all of these amenities after paying the standard admission fees and entering the lounge.
The railway company added that bathrooms in first- and sleeper-class waiting areas at stations are provided “free of charge,” so the British travellers could have visited those areas and used the urinals there without having to pay.
