No punishment for railway ticket counter clerks carrying excess cash

CHENNAI: Giving huge relief to commercial clerks, the Railway Board has ordered that carrying excess cash while on duty at ticket counters would not be considered as misconduct unless there is an evidence for malafide intention.

The board issued the order recently following repeated complaints that ticket counter staff were charged for lapses without considering their working condition.

“Now the commercial clerks manning ticket counters can be punished for carrying excess cash (or shortfall) only if there is an evidence to prove their intention to cheat the passengers and the Railways,” said a senior official quoting the board’s directive.

So far, commercial clerks have faced disciplinary proceedings ranging from increment cut to suspension when they are caught having excess cash during inspection by the Vigilance department. A few clerks have got severe punishment even for carrying as low as Rs 100 excess in their counters. The board’s decision is also attributed to the railway unions’ growing influence among the employees, due to colonial-era rules which prescribed stringent punishment even for minor errors.

“Clerks at unreserved counters in busy stations such as New Delhi, Central and Egmore in Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai CST and Kolkata always carry more money than the actual value of tickets sold. During weekends and festive seasons, many last-minute travellers, in a rush to catch trains, leave the change at counters. Eventually, at the end of the shift, the clerks will have an excess of a few hundreds in their hands. Sometimes, there is an excess of cash beyond Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 during festive seasons,” said a senior commercial clerk in the Chennai division.

The stringent norms unpractical in nature have forced commercial clerks to work in constant fear of vigilance inspection. However, the Railway Board’s recent order had not changed the guidelines in the Indian Railway Commercial Manual which prescribes procedures to be followed at ticket counters.

“The clerks should be subjected to inquiry only when quantum of excess cash is abnormally higher and if there is substantial proof for mala fide intention,” added the order.