Title - Special drive by Waltair Division nets Rs.1.16 lakh

A total of 419 ticketless travellers/irregular ticket holders and un-booked luggage cases were detected and Rs.1.16 lakh realised as penalties in a special drive by the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway on Monday.

The raids were conducted by the commercial staff and officials along with RPF personnel, under the supervision of Senior Divisional Commercial Manager M. Yelvender Yadav, at Cheepuralli and Srikakulam Road Railway Stations. The ticket sales grew by over 116 per cent at Cheepuralli and over 49 per cent at Srikakulam Road station on the day of the special drive compared to the same day of the previous year. The total ticket sale was 8,067 and Rs.3.17 lakh in respect of passenger earnings.

Mr. Yadav noted that the objective of the drive was to discourage irregular travel by MST holders and to counsel the commuters, college students, employees and vendors to get their MSTs renewed in time before they board the eligible train, failing which fare and penalty will be levied. The violators would also be liable for prosecution and penal action under the Sections 137, 138 and 139 of Railway Act, 1989. The punishment could extend with imprisonment up to six months or with a fine which may extend to Rs.1,000 or both.