Prayagraj rail division launches probe after RPF commercial dept squabble over illegal vendors

    New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) The RPF and the Railway's commercial department squabbled over the presence of illegal vendors in the railway premises in the Tundla section, prompting the Prayagraj Rail Division to launch a probe into the matter.
    The commercial department has alleged the Railway Protection Force (RPF) was showing undue favour to illegal vendors. The RPF, in turn, alleged the commercial department was being unreasonable to even those vendors authorised to sell their products within the railway premises.
    "Illegal vending is a huge menace in railway premises and trains. These vendors sell contaminated and counterfeit food products to passengers, compromising their health. It is our duty to stop them from operating within railway premises," said an officer from the commercial department.
    Accusing the RPF of not cooperating in its drive against illegal vendors, he said when the force nabs such vendors and charge-sheets them, it is legally their duty to take them in custody.
    "However, they are refusing to take the illegal vendors in custody for reasons best known to them," the official said, producing copies of the charge sheets they had to cancel.
    "Only the railway magistrate is authorised to dispose of a charge sheet. But since the RPF is not taking illegal vendors into custody, what will we do with these charge sheets?
    "So, we are cancelling it and collecting a fine from the illegal vendors for travelling without a ticket in trains. We have no other option," said another official from the commercial department.
    On the other hand, the RPF said the commercial department is unreasonably troubling the vendors and imposing fines on even those who come to deliver goods to their authorised shops.
    Sources in the RPF said that in some cases, some vendors, who forgot to carry their license and later on arranged a soft copy of it, were also being fined by the commercial department.
    When the matter was brought to the notice of A K Sinha, the Chief Security Commissioner of North Central Railway zone under which Prayagraj Division comes, he launched a probe to find out the truth.
    When contacted, Sinha said, "I have asked the Senior Divisional Security Commissioner to enquire into the matter and report at the earliest."
    Railway officials said illegal vending has become a huge problem at many stations, including the Tundla junction, as these vendors not only sell harmful and unhygienic food items but are also involved in petty crimes such as mobile snatching and theft of passengers' bags.
    "The Railway Board should issue an order to constitute a team of officials that should include the RPF as well as the commercial department officers and carry on an extensive drive to weed out illegal vendors from the railway premises across the rail network," said an official.
    "Recently, the station superintendent of Jeonathpur station under Prayagraj division, who was shot at while on his way home, wrote in his complaint that he suspected the hands of illegal vendors as he often stopped them from entering the railway premises," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)