Mumbai, Aug 10 (IANS) At least 5,200 ticketless travellers were detected and penalty amounting to Rs 13.50 lakh collected in course of ticket checking operation at Borivali station in just a single day, Railways Ministry said on Sunday.

Western Railway’s Mumbai Central Division has launched a thoughtful and ethically grounded initiative — the NAMASTE Abhiyan, short for “NAMrata Aur Strong Ticket Examination.”

The campaign is a philosophy that merges humility, ensuring rule enforcement with dignity and empathy. At the heart of the initiative lies a deep commitment to values such as dignity, safety, public interest, empathy and accountability.

The Abhiyan aims to restore confidence among ticket checking staff, safeguard their rights, and enhance the overall passenger experience, according to a Ministry statement.

Under this initiative, a large-scale fortress ticket checking operation was carried out at Borivali station, held on August6. Over 300 ticket checking staff, along with support from the Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police, was part of this drive.

To ensure safety and transparency, specially designed protective vests have been given to TTEs. These vests carry compartments for body cameras, Hand Held Terminals (HHT), Excess Fare Ticket (EFT) Book and Mini Speakers for public announcements.

This technological integration provides physical as well as legal protection to the ticket checking staff, while simultaneously reinforcing transparency and accountability in passenger interactions.

Another critical component of the Abhiyan is the creation of pre-custody areas within station premises. These are localised zones under CCTV surveillance, designated to deal with ticketless travellers in a controlled and respectful manner.

“This move helps to avoid potential conflicts and unnecessary confrontations in official offices, ensuring fair treatment for both passengers and staff. Officers from the Commercial Department have conducted workshops focused on effective communication and professional passenger handling,” said the Ministry.

The NAMASTE Abhiyan is a powerful example of how governance can be both strong and sensitive. It stands as a model of ethical public administration that values discipline.

Rather than relying on reactive measures, it adopts a proactive and structured approach, one that upholds fairness, promotes trust, protect public property and preserves the morale of frontline personnel.

—IANS

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