General Manager of southern Railway Rakesh Misra has written to his Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs), asking them to ensure that no unauthorised persons occupied the coach meant for the differently-abled.
In a letter to the DRMs of Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Salem, Mr. Misra said that a delegation of differently-abled persons which met him on Wednesday sought redressal of various grievances. The main complaint was the encroachment of the coach meant for them on various trains by unauthorised persons.
Mr. Misra pointed out that in several cases, such unauthorised travellers were railway employees or railway union members. “I am distressed to note the anguish of the delegates and empathise with them,” he said. Such transgression even by railway employees would not be tolerated. He asked the DRMs to ensure that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) took stringent action against those who indulged in unauthorised travelling.
Mr. Misra said that he was recommending to the Railway Board to bring in suitable amendments to the Railway Act 1989 to slap stringent penalty on persons found using the space meant for the differently-abled.
