Title - Western Railways rakes in Rs 5.8cr from ticketless travellers

MUMBAI: The Western Railway (WR) booked 1.64 lakh commuters in October, which included Navratri, for travelling without a valid ticket. Fines to the tune of nearly Rs 5.84 crore were recovered from the ticketless travellers.

WR chief public relations officer Sharat Chandrayan said, "We also registered 469 cases of illegal transfer of reserved tickets (for long distance journeys) and fines to the tune of Rs 3.57 lakh were recovered. During the same period, 1,024 beggars and unauthorized hawkers were apprehended." They were prosecuted and fined. During the same month, 198 checks were conducted against touts and other anti-social elements. As a result, 363 persons were apprehended and prosecuted under sections of the Railways Act. Of those apprehended, four were sent to jail.

The WR has a Surakshini squad comprising women ticket checkers and RPF personnel. The squad caught 603 beggars and evicted them from railway premises in October.