FIRST-QUARTER FY 2022-23: North Central Railway realises revenue of over ₹51 crores through ticket checking

With the end of the first quarter of FY 2022-23, North Central Railway (NCR) has realised ₹51.66 crores through a strict ticket checking initiative as part of a mission to crackdown on ticketless rail travellers.

As per tentative figures received, during the first three months of the current financial year, Prayagraj Division realized ₹28.37 crores through ticket checking while Jhansi and Agra divisions earned ₹13.07 and ₹10.22 crores respectively, informed Shivam Sharma, chief public relations officer (CPRO) of NCR.

As the economy recovers from the pandemic, there has been a surge in all activities which yield revenue to the kitty of government. NCR officials share that ticket checking is a dynamic activity performed in railways in various forms. Most visible is the regular ticket checking, which is performed by travelling ticket examiners (TTEs) on board a train. In addition to it, special checks are conducted like fortress check (in which the train is fortified from all sides by checking staff and passengers are checked for valid tickets), magistrate checks (it is performed in the presence of railway magistrate and offenders are tried accordingly), ambush checks etc, they add.

“Regular drives have been conducted by NCR at different locations to curb the menace of ticketless travelling. Ticketless travellers are penalised and proper tickets are made during these checks,” the CPRO said.

Prayagraj Division has achieved a special feat of earning ₹10.78 crore by ticket checking in June itself which is the highest ever revenue generated by Prayagraj division in a month through this activity. Various checks were conducted on board and at different locations of Prayagraj Division like Mirzapur, Aligarh, Kanpur, Tundla etc, he added.

Ticket checking serves a dual purpose of not only creating a deterrent effect against ticketless travelling but also facilitating passengers to get proper tickets who inadvertently are not carrying proper tickets. In addition to checking tickets, unbooked luggage is also checked during various ticket checking drives, CPRO said.