Ticketless Tangle: Probe Launched in Railway Corruption Scandal

A surprise inspection on the New Delhi-Lucknow Swarn Shatabdi Express revealed that a chief train ticket examiner allowed ticketless passengers to board after accepting bribes. A probe has been ordered by the North Central Railway, with strict actions promised against officials involved in corruption.

The North Central Railway has launched an investigation following a surprise inspection that uncovered a chief train ticket examiner's involvement in allowing ticketless passengers on board a premium train for bribes during the festive season.

The railway's Chief Public Relations Officer, Shashi Kant Tripathi, confirmed that complaints had been received about ticket examiners enabling travel without tickets on the premium service or overcharging while failing to issue receipts. Tripathi emphasized the railway's zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, promising strict action against those found guilty.

The covert operation on October 29, involving railway officials from the traffic and commercial departments, caught 21 ticketless passengers on the New Delhi-Lucknow Swarn Shatabdi Express between Tundla and Kanpur. An assistant traffic manager, Dinesh Kapil, along with Deputy Chief Traffic Manager Amit Sudarshan, led the operation, highlighting a systemic issue of bribery within the railway network.

(With inputs from agencies.)