RailEnquiry

The railway police has asked for a list of firms and employees engaged in loading parcels on trains at Mumbai Central. But WR refused to give details, saying police has no right to seek such information.

The Western Railway (WR) has crossed swords with the railway police over its demand for details of cargo operators and the parcels loaded at Mumbai Central terminus. The railway police has asked for a list of firms and the employees engaged in loading parcels on long-distance trains at Mumbai Central and the parcels that passed through the terminus between January 1 and August 31 this year. But WR has refused to give the details, saying the police has no right to seek such information. Rajendra Trivedi, senior inspector with Mumbai Central railway police, said they required this information in connection with the investigation of gutkha smuggling.

The information was sought by September 30, and the railway police has in a letter to WR warned of legal action against railway officials for not providing the information.

WR officials said that while the police had every right to inspect any parcel if they had information of illegal contents, asking for details of companies that were on contract to collect and load parcels, under the railways’ leaseholding policy, right down to the names of porters, was asking for too much.

An average 190 tonnes of parcels comes into Mumbai Central and about 200 tonnes goes out on trains from the terminus daily and WR earns about Rs40 crore from this business annually.  “We ourselves check some 20% of all the parcels being loaded,” said a railway official. “The railway police, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are free to do so according to the rules.”

This matter has been brewing since the police told WR that it would not allow trucks which were not registered in Mumbai to enter the Mumbai Central terminus. This agitated railway officials as a large number of parcels are from places outside Mumbai, like Bhayandar and Bhiwandi, from where cargo companies bring the parcels in their trucks. WR officials complained to railway police commissioner, Prabhat Kumar, against the diktat.

In July, four trucks carrying bags containing cash and gold and diamond jewellery were seized in a joint operation by the National Investigation Agency and the Income Tax department.