While only the commercial staff of the Western Railways can collect R500 from those found soiling railway property, the Railway Protection Force has written to them saying they are better suited to extracting fines and keeping premises clean
Ready to take on the Herculean task of keeping the city’s railway premises clean, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for Western Railway (WR) has written to the railway authorities, asking for permission to start levying fines on people caught urinating on railway premises.
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Late in 2012, the railway authorities drew up a rule that said that anyone found littering, spitting, cooking, bathing, urinating on the railway premises would have to cough up Rs 500 as fine. File pic
In their letter, they say that extracting fines will not only help them keep the premises clean, but also help them generate revenue that can be channeled back into the railways, to provide passengers more amenities.
Late in 2012, the railway authorities drew up a rule that said that anyone found littering, spitting, cooking, bathing, urinating on the railway premises or dirtying its property in any way would have to cough up Rs 500 as fine. The rule authorised only commercial staff from the railways to collect such fines. The RPF officials, however, say that giving them the charge would help implement the rule better.
“We have been noticing that people treat the railway premises like their toilet, urinating wherever they find a spot. As a result, the premises give off an unbearable stench. A letter has been sent from the RPF to the railway authorities, requesting that our staff be given the authority to collect fines,” revealed a senior RPF official.
While the rule has been in existence for over a year, poor implementation has come in the way of cleaner premises. “This would make our premises clean. Also, the railways will generate money that can be used for the welfare of passengers,” he added.
Officialspeak
Ajay Kumar Jha, senior divisional security commissioner, WR, said, “It’s a preliminary step. If it does not yield positive results, violators will be prosecuted for spreading nuisance within railway premises.”
When contacted, Sarat Chandrayan, chief Public Relations officer for WR, said that the law would have to be amended in order to vest the RPF with the authority to extract fines. “We have not received any such letter from the RPF,” he clarified.
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