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Passenger fined via personal UPI, railways issues warning
Passenger travelling on Pune suburban local train alleged that ticket checker collected fine via her personal Google Pay account instead of using official payment methods
Pune: In an incident that has raised serious questions about protocol adherence, a passenger travelling on a Pune suburban local train alleged that a ticket checker collected a fine via her personal Google Pay account instead of using official payment methods. The incident occurred on Monday on the Pune-Akurdi route under the Pune railway division.
Shubham Rathi, the passenger involved, recounted the incident: “Today, I travelled from Pune station to Akurdi by local train and my ticket got misplaced. I was issued a fine of ₹510 which I paid to a ticket checker at Akurdi railway station. But, she asked me to transfer the fine amount to her personal UPI account.”
As per railway norms, fines must be collected either in cash or through officially authorised digital platforms. When contacted by HT, Hemantkumar Behera, spokesperson for the Pune railway division, confirmed the incident. “There was a technical issue that prevented the staff from accepting the fine through the railway’s online payment portal, and the passenger did not have cash. As a result, the fine was collected via the staff member’s personal UPI account,” he said.
Behera further acknowledged that although the Electronic Fine Ticket (EFT) was issued and the money was later remitted to the railways under receipt number MR UFV22071478, the practice is not permissible. “This is against railway rules. We have issued a warning to the staff member and instructed all personnel not to accept any fine payments on their personal accounts, regardless of the situation. Such conduct undermines the integrity of our payment system,” he added.
Railway officials have since clarified that the staff member involved has been formally counselled, and additional measures are being taken to ensure adherence to proper protocols during online payment failures. The Pune railway division is also reviewing its digital infrastructure to minimise such lapses in the future.
