The Hindu Business Line : Season tickets not allowed in reserved coaches: DRM

Thiruvananthapuram June 19 Season ticket holders travelling in reserved coaches will be treated as unauthorised and are punishable under law, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Mr S. Vijayakumaran, said here.

He said this while addressing a press conference called in the backdrop of a recent incident in which a youngster fell to death from a moving train after being questioned by a ticket checking squad. Season ticket holders could, however, board dereserved coaches of nominated express trains for a stipulated distance. There are 60 pairs of passenger trains plying in the Thiruvananthapuram Division. Apart from the usual general compartments, dereserved compartments are earmarked for commuters of short distances holding season tickets.

Ticket-checking staff have been directed to get unauthorised travellers vacated and to penalise them in the interests of the reserved passengers.

Mr Vijayakumaran pointed out that persons holding second-class ordinary tickets and season tickets should travel only in general coaches. Season ticket holders and passengers with dereserved sleeper tickets can travel in nominated reserved coaches, which are dereserved. However, passengers with second-class express tickets alone are not allowed to travel in dereserved coaches.

Dereserved sleeper class ticket holders are allowed to travel in sleeper class after paying Rs 15 as sleeper charges to the train ticket examiner. In these sleeper compartments, season ticket holders and second-class ticket holders are not allowed.

On sales tax raids in railway parcel offices, Mr Vijayakumaran said that the Railways and the State Sales Tax Department have a joint procedural order under Sales Tax Act 1977. The Railways cooperate with Sales Tax officials in conducting raids to find defaulters.

However, on Monday, at the Kozhikode Railway Station, the Sales Tax authorities did not inform railway officials of the raid in advance. The Railways provide all facilities when informed of early enough, said Mr Vijayakumaran.