The Indian Railways (IR) collected fines totalling over Rs 11,456 crore from passengers travelling without a ticket or with an improper ticket, as well as from those carrying unbooked luggage (UBL) in the last 10 financial years (FY). The country’s national rail carrier also witnessed a jump of over three times in fine collections for the mentioned offenses between FY14 and FY23, that is, from Rs 688.11 crore in FY 14 to Rs 2,260.05 crore in the last fiscal year.
In the same period, the Railways detected 26.03 crore ticketless passengers and those travelling without a proper ticket or with UBL at 3.5 crore in FY20, according to an RTI reply accessed by News18.
According to railway rules, all three of these actions constitute fraudulent offences under the Railways Act and are subject to punishment with fines and potential imprisonment, depending on the severity of the crime.
Section 54 of The Railways Act, 1989 empowers authorised railway staff, including the Train Ticket Inspector in this case, to examine the tickets of those embarking on the journey.
Travelling fraudulently (Section 137 of the Railway Act) or without the proper ticket can result in up to six months of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000, or both. On the other hand, travelling without the proper pass or ticket (Section 138 of the Railway Act) could lead to monetary penalties, including a minimum fine of Rs 250, in addition to the cost of the ticket for the distance travelled.
Zone-wise, the Railways collected the highest amount of fine, totalling Rs 1,506.09 crore in the last 10 financial years, from the Mumbai headquartered Central Railway for the said offences, while the East Coast Railways had the lowest collection at Rs 266.48 crore.
The RTI reply further informed that the Northern Railway, headquartered in the national capital, stood out among all 16 railway zones, with 3.37 crore passengers detected travelling without ticket/ with improper ticket & UBL between FY 2013-2023. At 59.05 lakh, the lowest number detected was in the Northeast Frontier Railway, based out of Guwahati.
Geographically, the Central Railway, with a network of 4,203.30 route km, encompasses a large part of Maharashtra, as well as portions of North-Eastern Karnataka and Southern Madhya Pradesh. It includes divisions in Mumbai (CST), Bhusawal, Nagpur, Solapur, and Pune. Additionally, it shares the bustling Mumbai Suburban Train System, also known as the lifeline of India’s financial capital, with the Western Railway zone.
On the other hand, the Northern Railway zone covers 7,362.99 route km, making it the largest of all 16 Indian Railways zones. It spans across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. This zone comprises divisions in Ambala, Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad, and Firozpur.
When it comes to fine collection for the aforementioned three offences in the last 10 financial years, the Central Railway was followed by the Northern Railway (Rs 1,489.42 crore), South-Central Railway (Rs 1,176.57 crore), Western Railway (Rs 1,034.17 crore), and East Central Railways (Rs 974.85 Cr), respectively.
Conversely, in terms of the number of passengers booked, the Northern Railway was followed by the South-Central Railway (2.99 crore), Central Railway (2.84 crore), East Central Railway (2.33 crore), and Western Railway (2.18 crore).
In the past two financial years, FY22 and FY23, the Central Railway took over from the Northern Railways in terms of fine collection for the mentioned offence. Between FY18 and FY20, it was the Northern Railway that held the top position.
The extent of the issue of illegal travelling on Railways becomes evident when considering that in the last fiscal, 20 ticket checkers within the Central Railway Zone each individually accrued fine collections exceeding Rs 1 crore.
According to the Central Railway, among the top three collectors of fines were D Kumar, a TTI at Headquarters (HQ), who collected over Rs 2.11 crore; SB Galande, TTI (HQ), and Sunil Nainani, TTI (BB), who garnered Rs 1.98 crore and Rs 1.60 crore, respectively.
The Mumbai Division alone amassed fines amounting to Rs 108.25 crore.
During FY22, six ticket checking staff members of the Central Railway collected fines exceeding Rs 1 crore each.
Ranked third in terms of fines collected over the last 10 fiscals, the South-Central Railway had nine ticket checking staff members each collecting Rs 1 crore in the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, Western Railway had two ticket checking staff members who joined the ‘One Crore Club’ in collections.
In the first three months (April-June) of the current financial year, Central Railway registered ticket checking revenue of Rs 94.04 crore in 13.39 lakh cases of ticketless/irregular travel and un-booked luggage. Western Railway collected Rs 50.83 crore in ticket checking during the same period.
While ticket checking staff are allocated to every station and train, ticketless travellers remain a significant concern for the railways, despite hundreds of thousands of such passengers being caught every year.
Many of those who board the train believe they can reach their respective destinations without being apprehended. A considerable number of them succeed in their attempts, which further emboldens them and serves as inspiration for others to follow suit.
The Railways periodically launch massive checking campaigns, including surprise inspections, concentrated section and spot checks, magisterial checks, mid-section checks, and ‘Quilabandi’ (fortress check) inspections. During these operations, dozens of teams of ticket inspectors are deployed at all entrance and exit points of the stations and within the trains.
In May, the Central Railways’ Mumbai Division introduced new ticket checking initiatives, including a UPI/QR code payment system for collecting fines on board trains and at stations. Ticket checkers are being equipped with body cameras to ensure smooth and transparent ticket checking, as well as to prevent misbehaviour and violent incidents.
Nonetheless, as the numbers indicate, these rigorous inspections, public awareness initiatives, and announcements designed to discourage ticketless travel are yielding only limited results. The scenario will truly transform only when each traveller recognises that possessing a proper and valid railway ticket not only averts inconvenience but also guarantees a dignified journey, all while contributing to the betterment of the nation.
Comments
0 comment