Mumbai: RPF raids illegal tea canteen operating from empty goods train wagon

The railway protection force (RPF) recently raided an empty goods train wagon located inside railway premises at Kalyan (East) and found that a tea canteen was illegally operating inside for the last several 3 years.

The RPF received complaints in the past few days and during the raid they found that the canteen illegally took electricity and water from the railways without paying them, said assistant security commissioner of RPF Tanvi Gupte.

Gupte who recently took charge, after getting information raided the wagon and her team seized water bottles stored inside, which were cooled in large drums filled with ice and sold illegally on trains. "We apprehended 3 men and seized 24 water boxes with 12 bottles each. We also found two drums filled with ice and bottles," she said. Adding the accused were produced before the railway court which fined them Rs 1500 each.

Officials said those arrested were booked under relevant sections of the railway act. However the main owner/operator of the cateen Narayan escaped from the spot and the RPF team is looking for him. The canteen was serving tea to various express trains which stop at Kalyan. They used to fill in the team in a kettle and sent it to platforms. They used to also sell water at a higher rate. Officials said to operate on railway premises one needs permission but the canteen operated without any proper permission and hence the RPF took action.

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