Ticketless Travels: Police Personnel Under Scrutiny

The Prayagraj railway division has fined over 400 police personnel for traveling without tickets on various trains. Special drives revealed police occupying air-conditioned coaches without tickets, causing inconvenience and threats to passengers and officials. The initiative aims to curb unauthorized travel, ensuring fair and legal train usage.

The Prayagraj railway division has taken action against more than 400 police personnel for ticketless travel on mail and express trains over the past month and a half, authorities reported. This crackdown comes as part of a special drive between Ghaziabad and Kanpur, where officials discovered many police occupying air-conditioned coaches and pantry cars without tickets, causing significant inconvenience to legitimate passengers.

Shashi Kant Tripathi, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the North Central Railway, stated that the Indian Railways frequently conducts operations to eliminate unauthorized travelers. Tripathi emphasized that ticketless passengers not only disrupt travel but also contribute to financial losses for the railways, necessitating stringent measures to check unauthorized access. Feedback from passengers has been overwhelmingly positive, commending the railway's efforts to maintain order.

Santosh Kumar, the zonal secretary of the Indian Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organisation, highlighted the misuse of authority by some police personnel who occupy reserved seats and threaten both passengers and railway staff. Despite warnings from police higher-ups, compliance has been minimal. However, persistent action by railway officials, including recording misconduct and issuing fines, has led to a gradual acknowledgment of wrongdoing among offenders. The initiative will continue throughout the festive season, with surprise checks to ensure compliance remains a priority.

(With inputs from agencies.)