Guwahati: Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has collected fines to the tune of Rs 10.54 lakh during a series of raids conducted in the past two months across its five divisions.
4,661 persons involved in illegal activities at stations were prosecuted under relevant sections of the Railways Act, 1989.
The drives were carried out by NFR in order to free railway stations from unauthorised vendors, hawkers, public smokers and litterers.
According to a statement released by NFR, during the months of April and May, an amount of Rs. 3.20 lakh was collected as fine, and 1077 persons were prosecuted in connection with illegal activities at stations. Additionally, fines of Rs. 1.74 lakh from smokers and Rs. 5.59 lakh from litterers were collected. In this regard, 926 smokers and 2,658 litterers were prosecuted.
NFR further stated that a total of 75 major railway stations have been declared free from illegal hawking. 14 stations including Katihar, Siliguri, New Jalpaiguri under Katihar division; 14 stations including Guwahati, Kamakhya, Lumding under Lumding division; 18 stations including Kokrajhar, New Cooch Behar, New Alipurduar under Alipurduar division; 13 stations including Dibrugarh, New Tinsukia, Mariani under Tinsukia division, and 16 stations including Rangiya, Goalpara Town, New Bongaigaon under Rangiya division are freed from illegal activities, it stated.
Regular drives by NFR’s Railway Protection Force (RPF) will be continued in order to maintain the rules, the statement added.
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As part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the RPF is planning to ensure better quality food to passengers and improve public sanitation at the railway stations.
Illegal hawking, smoking, littering in trains and station premises are prohibited under section 144 (A), under section 167, and under section 145 of the Railways Act, 1989.
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