The Western Railway (WR) has sent a proposal to the Railway Board to allow it to implement spot fines on commuters breaking rules such as trespassing, men travelling in ladies’ coaches, littering and travelling in the coach meant for handicapped people. Until now, a guilty commuter would be held in custody for hours by the Railway Police Force (RPF) for such crimes and execute a bail bond.
The WR has suggested that changes be made to the Railway Act, which currently suggests that the guilty commuter has to either pay the bond money or is presented in the front of a magistrate, who will then decide the amount for the bond. This has also resulted in a lot of commuters’ hands being bound by a rope and them being taken to the RPF post, where they are kept in a small-holding until formalities are completed.
Officials said that they want to cut through this tedious process of formalities and cut straight to empowering either the RPF or the commercial staff (ticket collectors) to take spot fines instead, therefore cutting through the unnecessary hassle that eats into the railways’ manpower and time. An official on the condition of anonymity said, “When the RPF staff catches these people and hauls them to the post and then takes them to a magistrate, no one mans their post during this time, giving some other bad elements time to break rules.”
The RPF takes anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 from a person for breaking any of these rules. When asked, WR divisional railway manager Mukul Jain confirmed that such a proposal has been sent to Delhi. He said, “Yes, we sent it to Delhi around 10 days ago as the current system is a little drawn-out. The issue is that the since the board is being asked to change the Act, it might take a little time.”
