THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In addition to tackling ticket-less travellers and heavy rush, the railways is facing another problem: theft of expensive taps from coaches, including those of premium long-distance trains!
The official records, accessed through an RTI query, reveal 107 taps were stolen across the Southern Railway’s (SR) Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions in the past three years. According to the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the number of theft cases were: 20 taps in 2022, 77 in 2023, and 10 in 2024.
Despite the drop in reported thefts, sources indicated that SR has started addressing the issue by replacing the expensive taps that are stolen with cheaper plastic ones.
In response to the RTI query on how they were addressing the thefts, the RPF said they have “taken action in accordance with the law.” However, SR officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed growing concern over the issue.
“Taps worth over `1,000 are now being replaced with plastic ones worth just `50 in several coaches,” one source explained. “Thefts mostly occur during non-operational hours and at smaller stations. While more cameras have been installed for surveillance, the problem persists. Though the SR has outsourced some of the work for the trains’ upkeep, the officials are responsible to monitor the work of the contract staff,” the source said.
The source also pointed out that security lapses occur when trains are parked on stabling lines – tracks used for storing idle trains. There’s lack of attention on properly securing these trains, including aspects like ensuring the doors of the coaches are closed when not in use. The official urged passengers to use the grievance redressal platform RailMadad to report issues and help hold the railways accountable.
However, a senior official from the SR’s Thiruvananthapuram division dismissed the RTI query, stating the issue was unrelated to the operational branch.
Meanwhile, passenger organisations like Friends on Rails have been voicing concerns about issues affecting passenger convenience, besides advocating for improvements to the SR’s service.
To enhance passenger experience, the Southern Railway has been providing ‘Karmayogi’ training to the staff, including those at ticket counters, station masters, and ticket examiners.