Education institutes giving railway concession form at a premium

RTI activist Bimal Doshi has alleged that city's schools and colleges have been giving railway concession forms to its students illegally. The forms costing Rs0.50, Doshi alleges, are being sold to students at a higher rate – Rs5 and even Rs10.

What information did he solicit?
He filed his RTI application four months ago and was informed that the actual cost of one concession form was Rs0.50. When the schools and colleges are issued the 100-page concession booklet by the railway authorities, they are charged Rs50. In return, the institutes provide it to students for a price ranging between Rs1, Rs5 and Rs10.

How have officials responded?
Doshi said that the institutes are minting money from students, who are unaware of the actual cost of the forms. The activist gave the example of an incident where a student had once complained to a station manager about being charged extra at the railway counter for issuing a monthly pass. He added: "When I asked that student to complain to the station master, he was returned the extra money he was charged."
After he sought the information via RTI, the activist wrote letters to railway authorities, as well as the education department in Mantralaya. However, both departments have been passing the buck and not taking action on the institutes. About the dilly-dally of responsibility, Doshi said: "Railway authorities claim that it isn't their duty to take action, but instead, it is that of the education department."
Doshi says that the railways should conduct surprise checks at schools and colleges, and probe students about how much they are charged for a concession form.

What do railway authorities have to say?
Sharad Chandrayan, CPRO, Western Railway, said, "We can take action on the respective institutes only when a student complains to us with evidence. Even if we want to conduct any surprise visits, we first need credible documents to prove that something was amiss at the concerned institute."