Jun 29, 2024 12:12 AM
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My father(a 64 years old Senior Citizen) had booked himself on the IRCTC Do Dham Yatra Package Tour(24th May 2024 to 31st May 2024) - to cover Kedarnath & Badrinath. The entire experience was hell-ish and terrible.
In spite of IRCTC Heliyatra site being solely responsible for Helicopter booking for the Yatra, IRCTC did not arrange for helicopter tickets for the passengers. Instead they were asked to purchase tickets directly from the site. The IRCTC Helicopter booking window started from the 10 April of 2024 for Kedarnath Yatra which requires Yatra Registration Number However, IRCTC only provided the Yatra Registration Number on the 6th of May 2024 afternoon at around 4 pm. Immediately when he tried to book the helicopter tickets, all tickets were already sold out for the specified dates as per the IRCTC itinerary. My father was verbally assured of the helicopter tickets by the booking person, Debayan Banerjee. He said that the Tour Manager would arrange locally offline in exchange of cash payment. Ultimately nothing happened and my father was forced to go to Kedarnath and come back by pony at this age with a damaged right knee joint and lower back problems.
Additionally, there was total chaos for the journey from Sonprayag to Gaurikund and back. The passengers were forced to take the journeys fighting huge crowds of yatris. There was absolutely no help and management from IRCTC and it seemed that they had come on their own as common tourists individually.
IRCTC did not make any special Puja arrangements at Kedarnath and Badrinath with additional charges as appropriate. All passengers were forced to be in the queue for 7-8 hours just like individual non-IRCTC tourists.
In the light of all the above issues, the passengers never felt that they had gone with a company like IRCTC as part of their packaged tour.
My father had gone on a single occupancy package by paying a sum of Rs.76, 200. He was forced to stay in a shabby, sub-par hotels in Guptkashi on the 25th and 27th May 2024 - and made to check in at around midnight. However, all other tourists were made to stay at the designated hotel named Somaya Hotel.
Before booking, Debayan Banerjee, the booking Manager showed my father Whatsapp images(25-04-24) of good Kedarnath hotels like Kedar River Retreat(Rs.6552 tariff) and Hotel JPG Palace(Rs.5242 tariff). Accordingly, he booked the package on the 29th of April. But he was shocked when he was forced into a 6/7-bedded dormitory along with many other co-tourists including lady tourists on 26th of May at Kedarnath with non-functional toilets and no food.
In the light of the above, IRCTC seems to be a total cheater and non-performer in conducting this Do Dham Tour Package where mainly senior citizens and aged persons go. Absolutely NOT RECOMMENDED.
