Title - Ahmedabad division drive against illegal ticket sellers ends

AHMEDABAD: Western Railway with the help of Government Railway Police carried a drive against illegal ticket sellers at various railway stations under Ahmedabad division from 02 June to 15 June 2013.

Railway officials caught three people from New Bhuj, Sardargram and Chapi computerized reservation centres for selling illegal tickets. Railway recovered nine tickets from black marketers worth Rs 9,445. The railways in an effort to provide better service to passengers, Western Railway has come down heavily on the illegal travelers and touts. In a bid to stamp out ticketless travellers and touts, Western Railway conducted regular raids at Ahmedabad railway station and recovered more than Rs 7.5 crore.

Western Railway conducted regular checks in April and 1,78,235 cases of ticketless/irregular travel including unbooked luggage cases were detected. This resulted in a recovery of Rs 7.45 crore. Similarly, more than Rs 6 lakh was realized from 620 cases of illegal transfer of reserved tickets.

In recent times, Western Railway has got stricter in handling of touts and illegal travellers. More than 150 raids were carried out to nab touts running the illegal ticket syndicate. As many as 249 touts were detained and punished under the applicable sections of the Railway Act. The Railways ticketing system has always been rich grounds for touts to lure passengers.

Authorities have also deployed a 'Surakshini' squad at the station, to do away with beggars and unauthorized hawkers. In the last month, 1,023 beggars and illegal hawkers were apprehended. Of these, 654 were evicted, 354 were fined and 15 persons were sent to jail. Surakshini squads regularly remove beggars from the station.