BENGALURU: In a gross violation of safety norms, a special train for the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was carrying 61 gas cylinders from Doddaballapur station in Bengaluru Railway Division to Koraput station of Odisha. The train was not allowed to depart by railway officials. The cylinders were offloaded and sent by truck back to the BSF post.
The violation was detected on November 19 on a Troop Movement train, a 20-coach train allotted just for the security personnel.
Divisional Railway Manager Yogesh Mohan told TNIE, “Carrying crackers or any inflammable substance is an offence under Section 164 of the Railway Act. The Railway system is not designed to carry any inflammable substance.”
The cylinders were spread across the 20-coach train, which originated from Doddaballapur. While 18 cylinders were full, 20 were partially full and 23 empty.
In line with a recent Railway Board directive, safety checks are being intensified across railway stations and trains. “No permission was sought in connection with carrying the cylinders and we would not have given it too as it is a safety risk in a train carrying so many cylinders. They were made to offload the cylinders which were despatched by a truck to their office. Only the security personnel were allowed to travel,” he said.
Record booking of ticketless passengers by Bengaluru Div. October turned out to be a special month in the history of the 42-year-old Bengaluru Railway Division. According to Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Bengaluru Division, Krishna Chaitanya, “We booked 60,545 cases and collected over Rs 4.84 crore (Rs 4,84,45,835) in fines in October, which is the highest done in a single month in the history of the Division. Compared with the same month last year, it marks a 41.93% increase in terms of revenue. The break-up of cases is as follows: Without ticket 37,724 cases, irregular tickets 22,120 and unbooked luggage 701 cases. “This was possible due to an all-out effort by all the staff in the Commercial Division. Travelling Ticket Examiners achieved more than the target set for them,” he added.