Porters sell unreserved seats, RPF acts blind
Even safai workers and touts, in connivance with railway cops, block general compartment seats and sell them to passengers for Rs 50-Rs 100 per seat. Those who protest are roughed up and their wallets snatched
Yogesh Avasthi ,Vijay Zala
Mirror reporters get in touch with Ashraf, a safai worker, and his son on platform 6. Father-son duo agree to get them two seats for Rs 100 each in a general compartment of Ashram Express. While passengers in the queue wait for cops to open the bogie’s door, Ashraf opens it himself and allows reporters in. All this happens right in front on an RPF cop (circled) who chooses to look the other way. Even the passengers in the queue do not protest
Taking advantage of summer vacation rush, touts and porters at Ahmedabad Railway Station are minting extra cash by extorting money from passengers travelling in general compartments. All this, right under the nose of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP).
While it is the duty of the railway cops to ensure unreserved passengers form a queue and secure seats on first come first serve basis, they turn a blind eye to the rampant seat-cornering that goes on till the train leaves the station.
In order to bail themselves out if they are ever questioned, some officials do makeTaking advantage of summer vacation rush, touts and porters at Ahmedabad Railway Station are minting extra cash by extorting money from passengers travelling in general compartments. All this, right under the nose of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP).
While it is the duty of the railway cops to ensure unreserved passengers form a queue and secure seats on first come first serve basis, they turn a blind eye to the rampant seat-cornering that goes on till the train leaves the station.
In order to bail themselves out if they are ever questioned, some officials do make sure that the queues are adhered to outside select compartments and even videograph the same on handy cams. But the fleecing and extorting continues in gay abandon in almost all other coaches.
The porters and touts get into the trains in the yard itself and mark their territory. When the train arrives at the station, they sell the seats reserved by them to passengers for Rs 100 per seat. If a person refuses to pay, he is thrashed in front of the other passengers and his wallet emptied.
Another modus operandi involves passengers who have already paid the porter, jumping the queue and occupying the seats ‘reserved’ for them.
Cops standing near the door, to ensure there is no mismanagement, do not question those getting inside the coach out of turn. It is ‘understood’ that they are the porter’s passengers.
Other passengers don’t even protest. Not even if male passengers are allowed inside women’s compartment. By now, they have wised up to the fact that the cops are hand-in-glove with the porters and touts. In 2009, special vigilance squad had found that some RPF jawans connived with touts and traders into carrying out unlawful activities. Following a report submitted by the squad, the railway board chargesheeted the then divisional security commissioner (DSC), Rakesh Mishra, under RPF section 153. Mishra was later transferred to Lucknow.
However, three years later, the illegal activity continues at the railway station. During their three-day investigation, Mirror reporters found that seat-cornering is a thriving business in at least seven trains: Jan Sadharan, Delhi Mail, Ashram Express, Gujarat Mail, Gujarat Express, Saurashtra Express and Sabarmati Express.
JAN Sadharan EXPRESS
‘BRING THE ACCUSED TO ME!’
As part of Mirror probe, reporters Yogesh and Vijay kept an eye on the goings-on in Jan Sadharan Express on Sunday. They saw a coolie take Rs 50 notes from passengers in lieu of ‘reserving’ seats for them.
A gang of coolies was even spotted pushing and beating up those who refused to give their seats to the ‘deserving’ passengers.
When Mirror brought the matter to the notice of a woman railway cop, she questioned the passengers. When they confirmed that the coolies had hit them, the reporters expected the cops to pull up their socks and look for the rogue coolies and touts.
An RPF jawan records the ‘orderliness’ outside a coach, while porters and touts sell unreserved seats to passengers in other coaches
Instead, the woman cop asked our reporters to bring the accused to her so that action could be taken against them.
When the reporters told her it was her duty to do so, she remarked rather non-chalantly: “CCTV par dekhenge kaun thhe woh log. (We’ll see on CCTV who the people are).”
However, platform 1 has only one CCTV camera in working condition. The camera is placed in such a manner that it can only capture the goings-on inside the RPF office. Since other cameras are not working, it is impossible to trace those indulging in such unlawful activities.
ASHRAM EXPRESS
‘Nobody will dare to do that’
To expose the unlawful seat-cornering business in the trains, our reporters decided to travel in an unreserved compartment of Ashram Express. They got in touch with a porter who told them he could get them seats for Rs 50 per seat. However, he grew suspicious when he found that the reporters were not carrying luggage with them. He later told them that they need not pay him. “Main toh seva karne walon mein se hoon (I like doing social service),” he said.
The reporters then approached another person who identified himself as Ashraf. A safai worker at the yard, he said he’ll charge them Rs 200 for two seats.
He told the reporters that he’ll get them the corner seats near the exit window. While people in the queue were waiting for the cops to open the coach, Ashraf promptly opened it and entered. The RPF official pretended not to see what was going on.
Nobody in the queue protested.
When reporters asked him whether passengers will force them out of the train later since they had jumped the queue, he said: “Koi aisi himmat nahin karega (Nobody will dare to do that).”
Ashraf then got the reporters inside and ensured they got two corner seats. He and his son also ‘reserved’ two other seats; other coolies were seen doing the same. While the other coolies got up from the seats after the passengers had paid them the money, Ashraf got money from the reporters after he got down from the train.
Asked how much he earned out of selling the seats every day, he said: “Rs 500-Rs 700.”
After he left the platform, the reporters got down from the train and two senior citizens occupied the vacant seats.
Yogesh Avasthi ,Vijay Zala
Posted On Wednesday, May 09, 2012 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/201205092012050922162546f9fffb07/Porters-sell-unreserved-seats-RPF-acts-blind.html
Taking advantage of summer vacation rush, touts and porters at Ahmedabad Railway Station are minting extra cash by extorting money from passengers travelling in general compartments. All this, right under the nose of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP).
While it is the duty of the railway cops to ensure unreserved passengers form a queue and secure seats on first come first serve basis, they turn a blind eye to the rampant seat-cornering that goes on till the train leaves the station.
In order to bail themselves out if they are ever questioned, some officials do makeTaking advantage of summer vacation rush, touts and porters at Ahmedabad Railway Station are minting extra cash by extorting money from passengers travelling in general compartments. All this, right under the nose of Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP).
While it is the duty of the railway cops to ensure unreserved passengers form a queue and secure seats on first come first serve basis, they turn a blind eye to the rampant seat-cornering that goes on till the train leaves the station.
In order to bail themselves out if they are ever questioned, some officials do make sure that the queues are adhered to outside select compartments and even videograph the same on handy cams. But the fleecing and extorting continues in gay abandon in almost all other coaches.
The porters and touts get into the trains in the yard itself and mark their territory. When the train arrives at the station, they sell the seats reserved by them to passengers for Rs 100 per seat. If a person refuses to pay, he is thrashed in front of the other passengers and his wallet emptied.
Another modus operandi involves passengers who have already paid the porter, jumping the queue and occupying the seats ‘reserved’ for them.
Cops standing near the door, to ensure there is no mismanagement, do not question those getting inside the coach out of turn. It is ‘understood’ that they are the porter’s passengers.
Other passengers don’t even protest. Not even if male passengers are allowed inside women’s compartment. By now, they have wised up to the fact that the cops are hand-in-glove with the porters and touts. In 2009, special vigilance squad had found that some RPF jawans connived with touts and traders into carrying out unlawful activities. Following a report submitted by the squad, the railway board chargesheeted the then divisional security commissioner (DSC), Rakesh Mishra, under RPF section 153. Mishra was later transferred to Lucknow.
However, three years later, the illegal activity continues at the railway station. During their three-day investigation, Mirror reporters found that seat-cornering is a thriving business in at least seven trains: Jan Sadharan, Delhi Mail, Ashram Express, Gujarat Mail, Gujarat Express, Saurashtra Express and Sabarmati Express.
JAN Sadharan EXPRESS
‘BRING THE ACCUSED TO ME!’
As part of Mirror probe, reporters Yogesh and Vijay kept an eye on the goings-on in Jan Sadharan Express on Sunday. They saw a coolie take Rs 50 notes from passengers in lieu of ‘reserving’ seats for them.
A gang of coolies was even spotted pushing and beating up those who refused to give their seats to the ‘deserving’ passengers.
When Mirror brought the matter to the notice of a woman railway cop, she questioned the passengers. When they confirmed that the coolies had hit them, the reporters expected the cops to pull up their socks and look for the rogue coolies and touts.
An RPF jawan records the ‘orderliness’ outside a coach, while porters and touts sell unreserved seats to passengers in other coaches
Instead, the woman cop asked our reporters to bring the accused to her so that action could be taken against them.
When the reporters told her it was her duty to do so, she remarked rather non-chalantly: “CCTV par dekhenge kaun thhe woh log. (We’ll see on CCTV who the people are).”
However, platform 1 has only one CCTV camera in working condition. The camera is placed in such a manner that it can only capture the goings-on inside the RPF office. Since other cameras are not working, it is impossible to trace those indulging in such unlawful activities.
ASHRAM EXPRESS
‘Nobody will dare to do that’
To expose the unlawful seat-cornering business in the trains, our reporters decided to travel in an unreserved compartment of Ashram Express. They got in touch with a porter who told them he could get them seats for Rs 50 per seat. However, he grew suspicious when he found that the reporters were not carrying luggage with them. He later told them that they need not pay him. “Main toh seva karne walon mein se hoon (I like doing social service),” he said.
The reporters then approached another person who identified himself as Ashraf. A safai worker at the yard, he said he’ll charge them Rs 200 for two seats.
He told the reporters that he’ll get them the corner seats near the exit window. While people in the queue were waiting for the cops to open the coach, Ashraf promptly opened it and entered. The RPF official pretended not to see what was going on.
Nobody in the queue protested.
When reporters asked him whether passengers will force them out of the train later since they had jumped the queue, he said: “Koi aisi himmat nahin karega (Nobody will dare to do that).”
Ashraf then got the reporters inside and ensured they got two corner seats. He and his son also ‘reserved’ two other seats; other coolies were seen doing the same. While the other coolies got up from the seats after the passengers had paid them the money, Ashraf got money from the reporters after he got down from the train.
Asked how much he earned out of selling the seats every day, he said: “Rs 500-Rs 700.”
After he left the platform, the reporters got down from the train and two senior citizens occupied the vacant seats.
