New Delhi: Penalties for several railway offences in Delhi have increased sharply following the implementation of Jan Vishwas Bill, with Delhi Division of Railway Protection Force (RPF) reporting a significant rise in collections since the revised fines came into effect on June 19.
Entering a coach reserved for women, for instance, earlier attracted a penalty of up to Rs 500. The fine has now been fixed at Rs 2,500. In July, RPF personnel caught 302 offenders and collected around Rs 7.5 lakh. In May, RPF collected only Rs 33,000 for the same offence. The penalty, which was earlier up to Rs 100, has been increased to Rs 2,000. In July, RPF caught 10 people smoking and collected nearly Rs 20,000. A senior RPF officer said that earlier, fines were imposed by a magistrate and generally ranged between Rs 100 and Rs 500. Under the revised system, fixed penalties of Rs 500 to Rs 2,500 have been laid down for different offences. For trespassing, RPF collected around Rs 5.9 lakh in July, compared with Rs 1.5 lakh in May. For hawking and begging on railway premises, collections increased to around Rs 5.3 lakh from Rs 4.4 lakh. For disobeying directions issued by the railway staff to drivers or conductors of vehicles, collections rose to around Rs 7.2 lakh in July from Rs 1.2 lakh in May.
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“Earlier, if a person said he could not pay the fine because of financial difficulties, authorities could, in some cases, permit him to pay a reduced amount or even waive the fine partially,” the officer said. Senior divisional security commissioner (RPF) Ashutosh Pandey said Jan Vishwas Bill had also changed the way several offences were dealt with. Drives are being conducted at railway stations and on trains, while passengers are also being made aware of the rules,” he said.
Smoking on railway premises has also become costlier. Collections from other offences have also risen. The penalties collected are deposited with Indian Railways . “We have also trained our personnel about the new provisions. Download the TOI App.
The increase marks a sharp jump from the period before the revised penalties came into force. Some offences that earlier attracted criminal fines have been converted into civil penalties, allowing them to be dealt with administratively instead of through criminal proceedings.