Only 30% of e-ticket buyers opted for railway insurance

NEW DELHI: Out of the 410 tickets booked on the IRCTC website — accounting for 695 passengers of the ill-fated Indore-Patna express — only 126 (accounting for 209 passengers) included the recently announced travel insurance that costs less than Re 1. TOI has learnt that those travelling on 78 (128 passengers) of the 126 tickets are eligible for the insurance payout. The other passengers who opted for insurance cover were to board the train from Kanpur onwards. The IRCTC website offers passengers the option of availing of travel insurance at a premium of 92 paise. The scheme was announced by Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu in his budget speech. The scheme offers compensation of Rs 10 lakh in the event of death or total disability, Rs 7.5 lakh for partial disability, up to Rs 2 lakh for hospitalisation expenses, and Rs 10,000 for the transportation of a passenger's mortal remains from the site of accident or any other untoward incident — terrorist attack, dacoity, rioting, or arson. The facility is available to passengers who book the e-ticket, excluding for suburban trains, irrespective of the class of the ticket. The option to buy the insurance cover is available through a checkbox. "The premium is just 92 paise, so lack of awareness or sheer negligence while booking tickets may be the reason why so many passengers failed to opt for insurance," an official said.