In an effort to curtail ticketless travel, the Tiruchi Railway Divisional authorities embarked on an intense checking drive on the Tiruchi – Thanjavur section on Thursday. The drive commenced shortly after the crack of dawn with ticket checking staff assisted by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) carrying out the exercise.
The mission was carried out under the guidance of the Divisional Railway Manager with the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and Divisional Commercial Manager also taking part in the drive.
A total number of 28 ticket checking staff along with security provided by 24 RPF personnel carried out the exercise which lasted a little over four hours. The checks were carried out on four trains proceeding on the Tiruchi- Thanjavur section. Railway officials said checks were also conducted at stations including Solagampatti and Aiynapuram.
In all, 34 passengers were found travelling without tickets, said a Railway release. Fine amounting to ₹10,085 was collected from the violators.
A couple of months ago, a three-day intensive drive against ticketless travel was conducted in the division. Over 3,000 cases were booked which included ticketless travel, improper ticketing and unbooked luggage. More than ₹14 lakh was collected from the defaulters as penalty.
A senior Railway official here said that from now on surprise drives would be conducted every week in addition to routine checks being undertaken by the staff.
The drives are proposed to be carried out in the Tiruchi – Villupuram, Thanjavur – Tiruvarur, Villupuram – Cuddalore, Vellore – Tiruvannamalai and Tiruchi – Pudukottai broad gauge sections, said the official.
The objective is to improve the earnings of the Tiruchi Division besides creating awareness among travellers to desist from travelling without valid tickets, said the official.