The Delhi division of the Northern Railway has caught an unprecedented number of ticketless travellers in the last six months – more than seven lakh. The stringent checking of ticketless travellers has also helped the Railways realise Rs. 15.5 crore in fines.
During the first six months of the financial year 2015-16 (April to September) the Delhi division has seen a 48.5 per cent rise in the amount collected through ticket checking and penalty. While the figure for the last six months is Rs. 15.5 crore, the figure for the same period last year was Rs. 10.4 crore.
“We have realised this amount through detection of 7.2 lakh cases of ticketless travel between the months of April and September. This has been an unparalleled performance,” said Arun Arora, Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi Division, Northern Railways.
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Mr. Arora said that during the month of September 2015, penalty earnings of Rs. 2.32 crore has been realized as compared to Rs. 1.80 crore during September 2014, through detection of 98,000 cases of ticketless travellers.
“A total of 3,019 checks were conducted during September. In addition, 732 passengers were prosecuted during nine magisterial checks and bus raids conducted at Gurgaon, Nangloi, Delhi Shahdara, Delhi, Faridabad and Nizamuddin stations,” he said.
In September, 14 touts were also prosecuted, apart from 936 vendors, 298 persons for riding on train roofs and 1,095 persons were prosecuted for travelling in ladies compartment.
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The division also prosecuted 1,238 people for smoking.
“We have been continuously analysing the drop in passenger traffic in unreserved segment and have identified few stations and sections for intensified ticket checking drive through fortress checks, bus raids and magistrate checks,” Mr. Arora said.
“This is one of the steps being taken to arrest declining passenger traffic. Concurrently, leveraging IT initiatives and aiming to achieve. Mission 5 minutes” are also being vigorously pursued,” he said.