Days after the Congress accused the government of "hiking rail fares", the Indian Railways on Wednesday said that it was levying slightly higher fares for short distance passenger trains only to discourage people from travel which is not most necessary.

In a statement, a Railway Ministry spokesperson said: "Recently, there have been some reports in the section of media about higher price being charged from those travelling in passenger trains over small distances." He said that railways would like to inform that these "slightly higher fares for passenger and other short distance trains had been introduced to discourage people from avoidable travels and those which are not most necessary" and these fares are fixed at unreserved price of mail or express trains for the same distance.