CHENNAI: The vigilance department of the Southern Railway (SR) has collected Rs 3.48 crore as fine in the first nine months of this year. Figures sourced from the department reveal that this includes a marginal Rs 2.9 lakh, earned from fines and ticket fare realisation on apprehension of 204 touts and anti-social elements.
In all, 115 gazetted and 640 non-gazetted Railway officers were penalised in the 2,306 preventive checks and receipt of 589 complaints in the current year. As far as ticketing malpractices were concerned, about half of the 600-odd inspections exposed the tout-railway staff nexus, a senior official of the department said.
As many as 17 per cent of vigilance cases pertained to selections, appointments and promotions. To address the issue of rigging of multi-crore tender bids, e-tendering had been introduced, he added.
The vigilance sleuths have discovered frauds at the parcel office, cloak room, mechanical works and accounts apart from the ticketing ecosystem.
During the meeting of senior officials to kickstart the Vigilance Awareness week observed by the Southern Railway between October 27-November 1, the Chief Vigilance Officer, R Mukundan, stressed on the use of information technology to reduce the scope of corruption.
“The only remedy for corruption is to reduce the human interface and interference from the service provided to the recipient,” Mukundan said.
For instance, he pointed out, e-ticketing has dealt a blow to the tout-booking clerk nexus.