Long-pending demand of rail patrons, the passenger reservation system (PRS) counter, a has become functional at the Kundapur railway station on January 1, Saturday. The counter will be functional between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day and the existing counter at Kundapur Head Post Office too would continue to function, said a KRCL official. The PRS at the HPO that was operational for about seven years had become non-functional since about seven months following technical glitches. The Kundapur Railu Prayanikara Samiti launched a campaign demanding a PRS counter at the rail-head itself since it was convenient. Halady Srinivas Shetty, Kundapur MLA, and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP and Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje voiced the concerns of rail patrons and had urged the Railway Minister to intervene immediately. Ms. Karandlaje on December 24 announced the Railway Ministry’s decision to allow KRCL to open a PRS counter at Kundapur station.

The Ministry, in response to KRCL proposal to open the PRS at the station, on December 20 said it has already authorised zonal railways to double up existing unreserved ticketing system counters (UTS) as PRS counters. Since UTS was functional at Kundapur, there was no issue to make available reserved tickets too through the counter, it said giving clearance for the proposal.