COIMBATORE: A day after videos showing migrant workers occupying reserved seats went viral, sparking controversy, train ticket examiners (TTE) deboarded passengers seated in the reserved seats with the help of the RPF personnel in Salem, Erode, Tiruppur and Coimbatore railway stations, on Wednesday.
RPF personnel also streamlined the crowd, and they were also guided to board the unreserved coaches of Alappuzha-Dhanbad train (13352) and Shalimar-Trivandrum train (22642) in these major stations to reduce chaos while boarding.
As part of preventing rush at platforms in Coimbatore, a temporary shelter has been set up at the entrance of the station where migrant workers and other passengers can wait.
Similar temporary shelters will also come up at Tiruppur railway station. Salem railway division sources said TTEs, after identifying such passengers, will collect excess fare tickets (EFT) from them. However, due to heavy rush, it has been stopped temporarily.
“A passenger has to pay double the fine to compensate for traveling in the reserved coaches illegally. However, since the crowd is extraordinarily high, we have stopped collecting EFTs and are instead warning them. However, despite creating awareness, they are refusing to follow our instructions, so we have now engaged the RPF to streamline the crowd,” said a senior Salem railway division official.
Officials asked passengers to raise a complaint with the TTE or RPF at the nearby station.