In 3 years, Railways paid 8 lakh compensation for lost baggage

New Delhi, Aug 4: Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday that the Railways shelled out about Rs 8 lakh to passengers as compensation for lost baggage during the last three years.

In a written reply, Gohain said the ministry paid Rs 4,52,722 in 2014-2015, Rs 66,272 in 2015-2016 and Rs 2,88,662 in 2016-17 to passengers as compensation for the theft of their belongings.

According to the data presented by Gohain, a total of 17,925 cases of travellers' belongings being stolen were registered in 2016, a 47 per cent increase from 2014. In 2015, the number of such cases was 16,180 while in 2014, the number stood at 12,161.

Gohain also said the railways had not paid any compensation in cases of crimes against women in the last three years. On July 28, the minister told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that crimes against women in trains rose by 35 per cent during 2014-2016 during which 1,607 such cases were registered.

The minister also listed security measures taken by the Railways for passenger safety. He said around 2,500 trains on an average were escorted by the RPF daily in addition to 2,200 trains escorted by the GRP of the different states every day.

"Surveillance is kept through CCTV cameras, provided at about 344 stations over the Indian Railways, to ensure safety and security of passengers. Security helpline 182 is made operational over the Indian Railways for security related assistance to passengers," Gohain said.

PTI