CR nets Rs 100 crore from ticketless travellers in six months

The Central Railway (CR) has collected a record Rs 100 crore as fine from ticketless travellers in the last six months, an official said on Wednesday.

The CR collected this amount as part of its intensive campaign to stop the menace of ticketless travel, a senior official said.

"The CR has crossed the Rs 100 crore-mark in ticket checking earnings between April 1 and September 24 this year. The total revenue collected through this exercise stands at Rs 100.29 crore," CR chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said.

It is an increase of 14 per cent as compared to the earnings of Rs 87.98 crore registered during the corresponding period last year, he added.

The authorities are closely monitoring the revenue loss incurred due to ticketless travel and other such irregularities, Sutar said.

The collection of over Rs 100 crore was made through 19.15 lakh cases of irregular travel during the last six months. During the corresponding period last year, 17.42 lakh such cases were found, he said.

With Rs 41.21 crore and 8.13 lakh cases, the Mumbai division topped the list of revenue collection from ticketless travellers this year, followed by Bhusawal division with Rs 17 crore (2.83 lakh cases), Nagpur division with Rs 10.46 crore (2.31 lakh cases), Pune division with Rs 8.79 crore (1.72 lakh cases) and Solapur division with Rs 12.95 crore (2.70 lakh cases), while the headquarters squad recovered Rs 9.88 crore through 1.45 lakh cases, he added.

"During the ticket checking exercise, the CR staffers apprehended six fake ticket checkers, four fake police personnel and a fake catering staff," Sutar said.

The ticket checking staff also helped reunite the lost children with their parents during the campaign.