MADURAI: Reading may be a dying habit, but the Indian Railways' alleged practice of compulsorily charging Rs 20 from passengers for a pre-decided daily and a water bottle has not gone down well with the passengers. One TM Murthi, who on Saturday travelled in the Tejas Express, claimed the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) on the train compelled passengers to purchase a particular Tamil daily and a water bottle, and charged everyone Rs 20 for it. His Facebook post detailing the incident has gone viral.
Speaking to TNIE, Murthi said he travelled from Chennai Egmore to Madurai by Tejas Express on December 18. "At the time of boarding, I found a water bottle and a Tamil newspaper on my seat. Copies of the same newspaper and bottles were placed on all seats. A family of four, including a child, were also given four copies of the daily," he said. When the TTE arrived and sought Rs 20 for the newspaper and water bottle, Murthi refused to pay as he had not asked for the same. "The TTE then showed me the passenger list and said he was instructed to collect the amount from all passengers. As I refused to pay, he went on to collect Rs 20 from others," he added. Murthi has also sent a letter to Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting him to take steps to cease this practice of forcing passengers to purchase pre-decided dailies.
In letters the Railway Board sent to Southern Railway on May 19, 2017 and December 19, 2021, copies of which were accessed by TNIE, it is stated since packaged drinking water and newspapers will be provided on board to every passenger, irrespective of their option for onboard meals, a charge of `20 will be included in the ticket fare for all classes. Speaking to TNIE, P Edward Jeni from Railway Users' Association said making people buy newspapers against their wish is condemnable. "At least, the railways can give passengers the option to choose from a list of English and regional dailies," he added.
Responding to the controversy, IRCTC Joint General Manager (CS) Gladstone David said supply of drinking water and newspaper was introduced in Tejas Express on December 17 as per Railway Board policy. "It is not true that passengers were forced to purchase a particular newspaper. They have the option to choose from the different newspaper copies (Dinamalar, Times of India, Malai Murasu, Malai Malar) available on board," he added. According to an official communication passed on to TTEs on December 17, it is stated that passengers travelling in Train no.22671/22672 Tejas Express, should be supplied with water bottles and newspapers, irrespective of whether passengers opted for it or not.