Only yelling helped at last!

CHENNAI: "Don’t you people understand the plight of old-age people?" boomed a voice through the crowd gathered around the counter dispensing details of ticket cancellations. Standing in front of officials manning the counter, 69-year-old Mohan stood sweating. “We have been running around from pillar to post to cancel the ticket," he told them.Standing with his 63-year-old wife Savithri, he shouted at the authorities. "I am a diabetic, how long can I run around with my aged wife?”Mohan had been travelling with his wife to Kerala on the Alleppey Express on Tuesday evening. The train had stopped at Tiruvallur by midnight and stayed put. “None of the TTEs informed us about the accident. After we heard about it from our family members over the phone, we came to Chennai by road,” said Mohan.Around 7am, Mohan approached the reservation counter at Chennai Central to cancel the ticket, but the officials refused to give Mohan a full reimbursement. They said they since the aged coupled had boarded the train, they wouldn't be eligible for a reimbursement. “I pointed out that the accident had taken place and the train had gone no further. But they refused to listen,” he said.The officials then directed the couple to their superiors for enquiry. “When I met the senior officer, we were again directed to another officer. They keep doing this for nearly three hours, it was only then that I lost my patience,” said Mohan.Woken up from lethargy by the loud voice of Mohan, the railway officials immediately took him inside the room and comforted him with a glass of water. After making some phone calls, the senior railway officer assured him of the full reimbursement. Seeing Mohan's success, many people waiting at the enquiry counter followed his example.It was only then that the senior railway officer instructed his staff not to be sticklers for rule books, but be practical in their approach while dealing with emergency situations.