The new passenger-high is deceptive, said railway officials. The numbers could be higher as card tickets are not available and people are taking advantage of rush hours and travelling ticketless, they added. To curb the problem, the railways deployed 167 ticket checking staff and 20 Railway Protection Force personnel who detected nearly 4,000 cases of ticketless travel on October 18.
The total amount collected as fine was Rs 20.14 lakh, which in recent months has been the highest. During this financial year, fines from ticket checking in the Mumbai Division amount to Rs 11.11 crore.
The chief PRO of Western Railway, Sumit Thakur confirmed the outcome of an intensive drive on October 18 in the entire suburban section.
Sources in the ticket checking department said people have begun travelling without being fully vaccinated or simply taking the first dose. “They do not even buy tickets and simply enter the premises as public foot over bridges, and the entry and exit points connecting the rail premises have been opened,” said a ticket checker.
