Title - East Coast Railway launches special drive to discourage ticketless travellers

About 600 train passengers were detected travelling without ticket during a special programme launched by East Coast Railway (ECoR) at the railway station here to discourage ticketless travellers and unauthorised visitors.During the special 36-hour drive which commenced yesterday, EcOR has detected about 600 passengers who were travelling without tickets or with improper tickets and collected a fine of about Rs 1.60 lakh, ECoR sources said today.Apart from this, 42 persons were fined for spitting, littering and violating cleanliness rules, they said.Similarly, the passengers were counselled and educated to buy bona fide tickets from the ticket counters to make their journey hassle free.Daily commuters were advised to buy Monthly Season Tickets (MST), which is much cheaper than the regular journey fare, to avoid standing in the queue at booking counters.Passengers were also encouraged to buy ATVM (Automatic Ticket Vending Machine) Smart Card which is one of the most convenient ways to buy tickets now-a-days and advised to carry minimum luggage to make their journey more comfortable.

About 67 ticket checking staff were involved in the drive and awareness programme.