Western Railway acts against illegal travel in coaches for Divyangs, prosecutes over 39,000 passengers

The Western Railway (WR) last year prosecuted more than 39,600 passengers for illegally travelling in suburban train coaches reserved for Divyangs, a senior official said on Tuesday. 

WR launches regular drives to check able-bodied passengers travelling in coaches earmarked for Divyangs (persons with disabilities) in suburban trains.

Last year, 39,602 passengers were prosecuted for travelling illegally in coaches reserved for Divyangs, he said.

"This year, a total of 10,159 people have been prosecuted for the offence so far," he said.

A week-long drive was recently launched jointly by the RPF and the GRP against unauthorised travel in compartments reserved for Divyangs.

"Adequate GRP/RPF personnel were deployed for nabbing offenders," the official added.

WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said during the drive, 350 people were prosecuted by the GRP under the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Another 995 passengers were prosecuted by the RPF under the Railway Act, 1989.

Similarly, special RPF decoy teams were deployed for prevention and detection of passenger crimes after identifying vulnerable spots and studying their modus operandi, he said.

The RPF teams nabbed 28 notorious criminals involved in thefts/robberies and 46 bullies for blocking doors and refusing entry to commuters during peak hours, Bhakar said.

Bhakar said the WR administration is planning to install CCTVs in all coaches of suburban trains in near future as parts of efforts to strengthen the safety and security of passengers.

Regular visits and inspections will be carried out by WR officials to sort out problems faced by commuters with special attention to differently-abled persons, he said.