Central Railway Busts Illegal Pay & Park Operation At Kalwa After Contract Termination

The Central Railway Vigilance team has uncovered a large-scale unauthorized Pay & Park operation at Kalwa (West), even though the official parking contract at the location had been terminated on 24 October. During a covert operation on November 22, the vigilance team deployed a railway staff member with Rs 100 to verify complaints of illegal parking activity.

According to an official, the railway staffer deployed by the vigilance tram approached the operator of running the unauthorized parking and paid Rs 100 to park a scooty. The person managing the illegal parking then returned Rs 70 and issued a fake railway receipt generated through a hand-held terminal (HHT) to make the transaction appear legitimate.

"The railway staffer immediately alerted the vigilance team after the transaction was completed. Acting swiftly, vigilance officials reached the site and followed all legal procedures. The entire unauthorized parking setup was subsequently seized, bringing the illegal operation to a halt. Two individuals who were running illegal parking with other siezed item handed over to the RPF for further action. Other seized materials include a hand-held terminal (HHT) used for issuing parking receipts, Rs 210 in cash, an HHT printing roll, a Paytm QR-code sound box, as well as several blank old receipts and other miscellaneous items recovered from the spot" said an official.

According to sources, despite the contract termination, the parking site was being openly operated. The team also found 300–400 two-wheelers, 70–80 auto-rickshaws, and 30–40 four-wheelers parked illegally on railway land.

"A mandatory “Free Parking” display—required after contract termination—was missing from the kiosk. Station Manager (Commercial) failed to offer a satisfactory explanation regarding the ongoing unauthorized operations" said an official.

On the vigilance team’s instructions, the Engineering Department conducted a land assessment and prepared a sketch showing that 2,184 sq. meter of railway land was being misused without authorization.

A preliminary review of the HHT summary showed transactions worth Rs 3,360. Payments collected through the Paytm QR sound box are yet to be quantified and will be investigated by the RPF under relevant railway provisions.

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