In 21 months from April 2023 to December 2024, Central Railway's Pune Division collected over a whopping ₹42 crore from passengers travelling without tickets, travelling irregularly and carrying unbooked luggage.
In data shared with The Free Press Journal, the Pune Division reported that between April 2023 and December 2024, a total of 4.77 lakh passengers were found to be travelling without tickets, resulting in ₹31.8 crore in fines. Additionally, 1.51 lakh passengers were found to be travelling irregularly, contributing ₹8.2 crore in revenue. Furthermore, 5,392 cases of unbooked luggage were discovered, bringing in an additional ₹7.79 lakh.
The highest monthly revenue — ₹4.06 crore — was collected in April 2024. In this month, 35,129 ticketless passengers were found, resulting in fines of ₹3.12 crore. Additionally, 14,463 passengers were found to be travelling irregularly, raking in ₹93.90 lakh. Besides, 243 cases of unbooked luggage were identified, adding another ₹33,690 to the tally.
November 2023 (₹3.09 crore), April 2023 (₹2.80 crore), May 2023 (₹2.76 crore), March 2024 (₹2.66 crore) and October 2023 (₹2.65 crore) also saw significant collection of fines.
Speaking about this, Ram Paul Barpagga, Public Relations Officer, Pune Division, said, "A dedicated department in the administration is continuously taking action against defaulters. Due to unconfirmed tickets, many passengers try to travel without purchasing tickets, leading to them being punished. Travelling without a ticket is a crime. We urge passengers to purchase proper tickets while travelling."
