Surprise Inspection Conducted on Swaraj Express by Railway Officials
HARISH MONGA
Ferozepur, August 9, 2024: Following the directives of Divisional Railway Manager Sanjay Sahu, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (SDCM) Parmdeep Singh Saini conducted a surprise inspection on train number 12472, Swaraj Express, on August 9, 2024. He was accompanied by Catering Inspector Ramakant Singh, Commercial Inspector/Jammu Tawi Shri Pasveer, four ticket-checking staff members, and an RPF officer.
During the inspection, the SDCM thoroughly checked tickets in both the air-conditioned and sleeper coaches of the train. In addition, he, along with IRCTC/North Zone Additional General Manager Rajesh Kumar, jointly inspected the pantry car. Several irregularities were found in the pantry car, including the use of loose food materials like tea leaves and spices instead of pre-packaged ones. The pantry car manager was counseled to avoid using loose food materials in the future, and appropriate punitive action will be taken against the pantry car licensee under IRCTC regulations.
As part of the headquarters' special ticket-checking campaign, the SDCM, along with the ticket-checking staff, conducted a thorough inspection of tickets in the air-conditioned, sleeper, and general coaches of Swaraj Express. Fines totaling over ₹21,000 were collected from 42 passengers traveling without tickets or with irregular tickets. Additionally, four unauthorized vendors were caught during the inspection and handed over to the RPF under Section 144 of the Railway Act for further punitive action.
The SDCM urged passengers not to purchase anything from unauthorized vendors during their journey. He also appealed to passengers to travel with valid tickets and advised those holding unreserved tickets not to travel in reserved coaches.