Last week, the Central Railway gave rise to much indignation and confusion among automobile enthusiasts when it presented damaged and derelict two-wheelers for auction, and raised their base prices at the eleventh hour, without so much as offering an explanation.
A week later, they have finally offered an explanation: they got the maths all wrong.
Bungled it up: On September 26, MiD DAY had reported mismanaged and chaotic bike auction (above) and pointed out how the CR had hiked up its reserved base price for a miserable looking damaged 1970 model of an Enfield, from its initial price of Rs 35,000 to Rs 65,000
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Finding no takers for any of their eyesores on display barring an old Luna motorcycle, the CR authorities have now admitted that they had
to revise prices hurriedly after realising that they had made massive errors in calculations.
“When we gave the initial advertisement for the auction of these two-wheelers, we calculated the reserve price at its condemnation cost. Then we realised that we were supposed to have calculated the resale prices, and so the revision in the cost,” explained a railway official, on condition of anonymity. MiD DAY had reported on the mismanaged and chaotic auction (CR’s bike auction leaves bidders furious, September 26), and pointed out how the CR had hiked up its reserved base price for a miserable looking damaged 1970 model of an Enfield, from its initial price of
Rs 35,000 to a steep Rs 65,000.
Sources said selling a vehicle at its condemnation cost is as good as selling it for scrap, which should not be done in the case of an auction.
“We are not eligible to determine whether or not a vehicle can be auctioned as scrap as it is not under our jurisdiction,” said an official.
The two-wheelers on auction have been found at railway stations or inside long distance trains over the years.
Officials claim that at times people fail to remove these two-wheelers from the luggage compartment of trains, which later land up at their stations.
There were a total of 67 two-wheelers that were auctioned at the yard in Wadi Bunder. Only one was sold. u00a0
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