Railways slaps Rs 1 lakh penalty on contractor

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Railways has slapped a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on a Train Side Vending contractor for the section between Secunderabad and Kazipet P Siva Prasad after a video went viral on social media showing a vendor coming out of a train toilet with tea/coffee cans.

“The incident occurred in Train No. 12759 Chennai Central – Hyderabad Charminar Express at Secunderabad Railway Station in the month of December 2017.  An inquiry has been held to identify the wrong doers and initiate appropriate action. On the basis of the inquiry, stringent action has been taken up against the Train Side Vending contractor for the section between Secunderabad and Kazipet, P Siva Prasad, with whom the identified vendor in the video was employed.  A penalty of Rs 1 lakh has been levied on the licensee, through IRCTC, the contracting agency,” according to a PIB release.

A show cause note has also been issued to M/s P Siva Prasad, Licensee, Train Side Vending as to why his contract for train vending, Section-4, SC-KZJ, SC-NDKD-GNT section, should not be terminated.  An explanation has been called within 15 days from the issue of show cause notice done on May 2, 2018.

Two other persons seen in the video are unauthorized hawkers.  The Commercial Department of South Central Railway has been carrying on extensive drives against unauthorized hawking at Secunderabad Railway Station in the last few months during which all the unauthorized hawkers including the two involved in the incident have been removed. A strict vigil is continuously being kept at various level to ensure that no such incidents recur.

A video has been in circulation on Social Media in the last few days of a Vendor seen coming out of train toilet with tea/coffee cans conveying that water is being mixed in the cans inside the toilet.