Chennai Rly Div nets Rs 4L in 3 drives against ticketless travel

The latest drive involving comprising 53 ticket checking staff and 33 RPF (Railway Protection Force) personnel was conducted at 80 trains on June 28.

About 372 persons were caught travelling without tickets during the drive commissioned by additional divisional railway manager K Manoj.

Over Rs 1.02 lakh was realized as fine in the latest drive covering Chennai -Gummidipoondi stretch. Only a day earlier, the commercial department had netted Rs 61,460 crore as fine during a similar special ticketing drive conducted with 30 ticket checking staff and 14 RPF personnel covering 94 suburban trains between Villivakkam and Tiruvallur on June 27. About 207 persons were fined then.

The most significant of the crackdowns was recorded on June 11 when the division penalized 762 persons for traveling without ticket and collected Rs 2.52 lakh.

A whopping 134 ticket checking staff and 80 RPF personnel were engaged to cover 150 suburban trains betweenChennai Beach and Tambaram during the June 11 special drive. Ironically, the crackdown has also exposed the regularity in ticketless travel.

“The enormity of fines might suggest that the authorities have pulled off a grand show. But, the very fact that hundreds of commuters have been caught travelling without ticket in a given day is proof of unauthorized travel in the suburban sector.” “Officials conduct such drives once a while to prove their relevance.

Over a hundred ticket checking staff and RPF constable man the trains and stations only during such special drives. Is it okay to travel ticketless other days?” asked a long-serving commercial staff requesting anonymity.

The following trains are cancelled due heavy rains in Mumbai in Central Railway.

Train no 22114 Kochuveli – Lokmanaya Tilak bi-weekly express journey commencing on 04th July and train no 11042 - Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central – Mumbai CSMT Express journey commencing on 04th July are cancelled, a statement issued by Southern Railway said.