Illegal cornering of seats exposed

CHENNAI: Five ‘towel spreaders’ – people who place towels on seats to indicate they are reserved, only to sell them for a price to other passengers later – were nabbed at Central Railway Station in Chennai, bringing the continued illegal cornering of seats to light. Posing as genuine passengers, these towel spreaders wait in long queues to enter the unreserved compartments of long distance trains. Once seated they cover a few adjacent seats with a towel, making it look like they are holding them for family members. Just minutes before the train’s departure they negotiate with the standing travellers for payment on the seats, claiming their relatives have not turned up. These men used to operate largely on shuttle services such as the intercity express between Chennai and Coimbatore or Tirupati, entering the train at Perumbur to occupy the seats before it reached Central. They are now cashing in on the demand in north and east bound long distance trains. They were booked during a joint combing operation conducted by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and commercial staff of the Railways on Friday, said S R Gandhi, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Chennai Division, Southern Railway. “Towel spreaders caught during the drive were in the age bracket of 40 to 50. An occupied seat fetches at least Rs 50 for them,” he said. The combing operation, involving 100 RPF personnel and 100 commercial staff, was carried out on the Chennai - Arakkonam section and also apprehended a few auto and taxi drivers for reportedly canvassing among passengers inside the Central Railway Station, which is a violation according to the Railway Act. An official disclosed that 446 passengers were booked for travelling without valid train tickets and Rs 1.14 lakh was collected in fines during the drive that lasted till midnight on Friday.