Mysore/Mysuru: In October this year, the Mysuru Division collected a substantial penalty amount of Rs. 81 lakh from ticketless travellers and during the festival days, an impressive Rs. 5 lakh penalty was levied.

The drive was conducted by 21 Station ticket-checking staff, 30 ticket-checking squad staff and 133 sleeper coaches manned by TTEs.

In addition, the Division, during a week-long safety drive against the transportation of crackers and inflammable articles on trains, booked three cases. The comprehensive drive covered all 88 stations across the Division and took place between Nov. 9 and Nov. 15 in light of Deepavali celebrations, Shilpi Agarwal said.

The primary objective of the initiative was to curb carriage of inflammable items and crackers in passenger coaches, thereby minimising the risk of fire mishaps. Additionally, the drive aimed to raise awareness among the public and passengers regarding safety protocols.

Underlining the severity of the issue, the DRM highlighted that carrying such items on trains is a punishable offence under Section 164 of the Indian Railway Act, 1989, pertaining to the transportation of inflammable and dangerous goods.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), commercial section staff, and ticket-checking staff collaborated to execute the drive, with the assistance of a dog squad. Additionally, 11 smoking cases were booked under Section 167 of the Railway Act, while 33 cases were registered under the Cigarette and Tobacco (Prevention) Act.