Diligence in work is required to ensure that public sector entities do well and an example of this is Mohammed Shams Chand. A ticket checker with Central Railways he earned Rs.1 crore this financial year (from April 2021 to February 2022) as fines levied on ticketless travellers becoming the member of the elite one-crore club.
This amount has come in just 11 months and despite Covid-19 pandemic restriction. In this period Chand apprehended 13,472 ticketless travellers and collected Rs 1,06,41,105 as fine from them. This includes those passengers who travelled in class different from the one mentioned in their ticket.
Being a member of the special group of TCs, Chand is allowed to check both local and long-distance train passengers.
Chand joined the Central Railways in the year 2000 on sports quota and was an important player of the CR’s hockey team. He feels his skills on field have helped in nabbing ticketless passengers. “No doubt, sports increases our stamina, which proves helpful in our job when it comes to reading the minds of ticketless travellers,” he told the Free Press Journal.
Working during Covid-19 waves was tough for Chand since being in close contact with people during his work had him worried about the safety of his family members.
During the course of his work, he meets all kinds of passengers, some who readily pay the fine, while others refuse to do so. Speaking to Free Press Journal he said: “Every passenger is different, reacting in their own way when caught by the TC. Making the passenger realise their fault and counselling them is a big challenge. In conclusion, each day we have to deal with people whose behaviour is unknown to us. Accordingly, studying passenger behaviour and psychology seconds after they are caught and dealing with them accordingly is a big challenge for a ticket checker,”
Incidentally, according to a tweet posted by the Central Railways, the zone has achieved the highest revenue generation in ticket checking and garnered Rs.186.53 crores from April 2021 to February 2022.
Central Railway – Highest Revenue Generation in Ticket Checking, amongst all Zonal Railways.
₹ 186.53 Crores revenue generated from 31.10 lakh cases during financial year April 2021 to February 2022. pic.twitter.com/hRORUopqhZ— Central Railway (@Central_Railway) March 8, 2022
