To save Rs 50, Central Rly risks lakhs!

It seems to be a penny wise, pound foolish approach by the Nagpur division of Central Railway. For saving Rs 50 a day, the commercial
department is putting cash worth lakhs at risk!

The Nagpur Central Railway cashier office collects lakhs of rupees from all revenue sources like parcel, current ticket sale, reservation etc. at Nagpur and Ajni stations. However, the cash is exposed to high risk for want of a currency note counting machine worth Rs 20,000 and a regular vehicle to transport the cash to the bank.

According to sources, the dingy cashier office near the parcel department on platform number one collects cash to be remitted to the bank. On an average, the daily collection is around Rs 70-80 lakh in slack season and over Rs 1.50 crore during the peak season. Yet, there is not a single currency counting machine in the office nor does it have a regular vehicle to transport cash to the bank at Kingsway.

The counting of cash is done in three shifts round the clock one employee doing the job in each shift. This is tedious and time consuming job. Also there are errors. Hence, a cash counting machine has been sanctioned for the office but has not been procured. In May, there was a move to procure the machine but the file went missing. It was again moved in August and is still in process.

Similarly, there is no vehicle to transport the huge amount of cash. A taxi driver was deployed to transport the cash to State Bank of India, Kingsway, for Rs 50 per day. However, when he asked to increase the amount to Rs 100, his service was discontinued. The commercial department then arranged an office vehicle to deposit the cash but many times this vehicle is busy elsewhere. At such times, cashiers have to arrange a vehicle on their own and pay Rs 100 out of their pocket to be reimbursed later.

The employees fear for their own safety and the safety of cash after the incident of looting of a Punjab National Bank cashier in Lakadganj recently. Three youths had looted Rs 10 lakh from a PNB staffer in broad daylight in Lakadganj when the cash was being transported in an autorickshaw.

Sources said the morning shift of 8 am to 4 pm involves highest risk as huge amount of cash is collected during this time. Interestingly, the staff provided to count the cash continues to be from the time when there were fewer trains and less cash inflow. Suhas Lohkare, public relations officer (PRO), Central Railway, admits the problem is serious. He said CR had cash counting machines everywhere-- including even smaller stations like Ajni, Chandrapur, Wardha, and Ballarshah-- except for Nagpur cashier. He did not say what was the hitch in buying it for Nagpur office. On the issue of vehicle to transport the cash, Lohkare said tenders were floated twice but the party could not be finalised. A fresh tender would be floated soon, he added.