Title - Smoking menace: N Railway prosecutes over 7,000 pe

New Delhi: Taking on the menace of smoking in rail premises, the Northern Railway has penalised more than 7000 people this year in the Delhi Division and realised over Rs 15 lakh as penalty from them.

"The Railways have penalised 7554 persons for smoking in trains and stations under Section 167 of the Railway Act from January to November this year. A penalty of Rs 15,12,180 has been realised from these offenders during the period," said a senior Northern Railway official on Tuesday.

The Railways have maintained that it is a challenge for the rail authorities to detect such offenders and have banned the sale of cigarettes and bidis in trains and railway premises since 1999.

The Northern Railway is undertaking several initiatives to curb the menace of smoking in trains and station premises, the official said.