Complaints regarding overcharging by ticket/parcel booking clerks: Last three year's detail

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 4404

ANSWERED ON 20.02.2014

OVERCHARGING BY BOOKING CLERKS

4404 . Shri ABDULRAHMAN
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the Railways have received complaints in regard to ticket/parcel booking staff allegedly charging more fare than prescribed by the Railways;


(b) if so, the details of such cases noticed during the last three years and the current year, zone/year –wise; and

(c) the action taken by the Railways against the guilty officials along with the preventive steps taken in this regard?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI ADHIR RANJAN CHOWDHURY)

(a) Yes, Madam.

(b) Details of Complaints of overcharging by Booking/Parcel Clerks are as under:

S.No.	Zone/Railways	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14(upto Jan  2014)
1.	Central	31	10	07	12
2.	Eastern	Nil	11	11	15
3.	East Central	08	07	08	02
4.	East Coast	Nil	Nil	02	Nil
5.	Northern	16	05	07	07
6.	North Central	Nil	10	05	01
7.	North Eastern	Nil	06	05	04
8.	North East Frontier	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
9.	North Western	05	06	05	Nil
10.	Southern	Nil	11	03	04
11.	South Central	Nil	06	10	14
12.	South Eastern	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
13.	South East Central	07	04	01	Nil
14.	South Western	01	02	02	02
15.	Western	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
16.	West Central	03	Nil	03	01
17.	Metro	05	09	Nil	03
	TOTAL	76	87	69	65

(c) Disciplinary action is taken against concerned staff, where charges are substantiated. Periodical inspection and surprise checks are conducted to curb incidents of overcharging. Indian Railways have also introduced smart-card based unreserved ticketing systems at several locations. Computerization of parcel business through Parcel Management System (Phase 1) makes it mandatory to weigh & book each parcel that is loaded on the train, so that the exact parcel rate is paid by the customer to Railways through the Parcel Weigh Bill.