NASHIK: All those who booked railway tickets with the demonetised currency notes will have to wait for at least 30 days from the date of cancellation, and the refund will be made through cheque or online transfer.However, cancellation of tickets worth more than Rs 10,000 will come under scrutiny, as such requests will be sent to the head office of the Central Railways in Mumbai for verification.“Sensing the smart move by the people who tried to use their money to buy tickets and get the same translated into valid notes by cancelling it and getting refund, the railways has now decided to return the money in their accounts only. This is limited only to bookings done on November 9, 10 and 11 and the ones with value more than Rs 10,000,” a senior railway officer from the Bhusawal division said.He added that the procedure is usually lengthy and could take more than 30 days from the date of cancellation.A few people who wanted to get rid of the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes to skip the clutches of law too had railway tickets in hard cash. The idea was to get the tickets cancelled after the dust over the demonetised notes settled down and get back cash in valid currency. This resulted in the number of bookings swelling at railway stations.Generally, the passenger reservation system (PRS) across the division does a business of around Rs 50-60 lakh in cash across the counter on a daily basis. However, the amount went up to Rs 1.28 crore on November 9 after the demonetisation decision came into force from midnight.“The business shot up by an alarming 134%. Most of the bookings were for air-conditioned journey. Bookings were made despite the fact that there was no possibility of the ticket getting in the RAC zone or confirmation. The railways has already collected all the required information from the consumers, which will be shared with the agencies as and when required,” the official said.As per the railways’ decision, every person who has cancelled the ticket bought across the counter has to file ticket deposit receipt (TDR) to process the payment. If such tickets are worth more than Rs 10,000, the TDR will be sent to the Mumbai office of the Central Railways where the reasons mentioned for the cancellation will be scrutinised. Thereafter, the railways will decide whether to process the payment.“The payment will be made online, by cheque or even e-transfer from account to account only. There is no chance that money will be given in cash in any case,” the officer said.“Generally, the TDR does not go to the Mumbai office unless there are any disputes over cancellation or refund. In this case, the railways has decided to handle the matter through its Mumbai office. The procedure is lengthy and it can take more than 30 days from the day of initiating the process,” he added.Tickets booked across stationsNov 8: Rs 54.51 lakhNov 9: 1.28 croreNov 10: Rs 80.3 lakh* Figures of Bhusawal division, Central Railways