Title - Railway officials conduct massive checks

ISAKHAPATNAM: Officials of the Waltair division of East Coast Railways (ECoR) conducted a massive surprise check at Vizianagaram railway station to catch ticketless passengers on Monday.This follows a report highlighting the absence of such drives due to staff crunch in the division, in TOI a week ago. During the nine-hour check, the officials found that many school and college students were travelling without proper tickets, including time-barred season tickets. "Keeping in view their future, we counselled them on the spot on the consequences of violating rules," a senior railway officer said.

About 12,000 tickets were sold at the general booking counter at the station on Monday, earning the Railways revenue of Rs 2.3 lakh, an increase of 179% over the previous day and 325% over the same day of last year, said M Yelvender Yadav, senior divisional commercial manager.

The sale of monthly season tickets (MST) also rose steeply, with 177 MSTs being issued against 13 MSTs on the same day last year - and an increase of 1,262%. The increase over the previous day was 205%, he said.

Defaulters and unauthorised persons on the railway station premises and trains would be penalized under sections 137,138 and 139 of the Railways Act 1989 and they would face imprisonment for as much as six months or fines as high as Rs 1,000 or both, Yadav said.