NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways’ earnings from fines collected from ticketless travellers has risen by over 30 per cent in the last three years.
An RTI reply revealed that the railways has earned Rs 1,377 crore in fines between 2016 and 2019.
Last year, a parliamentary committee had expressed concerns over the fall in revenue from fines collected from ticketless passengers.
The panel had inspected the railways’ financial report. The national transporter had then directed all its zonal offices to intensify drives against ticketless travellers and had also set annual targets for each ticket checker.
According to the RTI, in 2016-2017, the railways collected Rs 405.30 crore in fines from ticketless travellers. In 2018-2019, the amount was Rs 530.06 crore. A ticketless passenger has to pay a fine of Rs 250 along with the cost of the ticket.
If a person refuses to pay the amount or does not have the money to do so, he is handed over to the Railway Protection Force and booked under Section 137 of Railways Act.
The person is then presented in front of a magistrate, who can fine him for as much as Rs 1,000. If the person does not pay the fine, he or she may be jailed for up to six months.