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  Desk
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  2026-07-21 07:37:00

While carrying home-cooked food on train journeys—whether travelling on premium services like Vande Bharat and Rajdhani or standard mail expresses—is a popular practice among Indian families, improper disposal of waste can cost passengers heavily. In a recent incident, a passenger travelling with his family was fined by railway authorities immediately after completing a meal because he discarded food scraps and disposable packaging around his seating area instead of using designated dustbins.

Indian Railways has significantly stepped up enforcement under the Indian Railways (Penalties for Activities Affecting Cleanliness at Railway Premises) Rulesreminding travellers that littering, dumping leftover food, or leaving trash in train compartments and stations carries strict financial penalties.

Penalty & Campaign Breakdown (Recent Ticket-Checking Drive)

Total Fines Collected  : ₹11,06,03,579 (from 1,36,783 passengers)
• Without Tickets       : ₹6,26,41,452 (61,645 passengers)
• Irregular Travel      : ₹4,67,19,308 (72,765 passengers)
• Littering & Smoking   : ₹12,23,969   (2,349 passengers)
• Unbooked Luggage      : ₹18,850      (24 passengers)

Sustained Inspection Campaign Target Unauthorised Travel and Sanitation Violations

As part of an intensive ticket-checking and cleanliness drive running through June 2026railway inspection teams have penalised tens of thousands of rule-breakers to maintain hygiene and revenue integrity:

Littering & Smoking Enforcement: A total of 2,349 passengers were fined ₹12,23,969 for littering waste, throwing food scraps, or smoking inside train coaches and station premises.

Ticketless & Irregular Travel: Special ticket collectors (TCs) and inspection staff collected over ₹6.26 crore from ticketless commuters and ₹4.67 crore from irregular travellers violating class or route reservations.

Enhanced Penalty Framework: Under recent amendments, minimum fines for ticketless travel under Sections 137 and 138 of the Railways Act have risen to ₹500 plus applicable fares. In contrast, anti-littering fines remain strictly enforced on the spot by station managers and ticket collectors.