Amid the complaints of crowding and the entry of unauthorised people in trains, which have been restricted to limited categories of travellers, Central Railway (CR) has collected an unprecedented Rs 9.5 crore in just two months by fining unauthorised and ticketless travellers.

“With complaints, the mega drive was further beefed up and we conducted intensive and regular ticket checking drives in suburban and non-suburban/mail express trains to ensure that only bonafide passengers travel in trains in accordance with government guidelines and follow Covid-19 protocols. From April 1 to May 31, 1.50 lakh cases of ticketless/irregular travellers were detected in non-suburban trains (long-distance trains) and suburban trains realising an amount of Rs 9.5 crore in penalties,” a senior official said.