Commercial Statistics 1901 PDF

1/27/25, 8:39 PM CHAPTER XIX MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Statistics 1901 CHAPTER XIX MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Statistics 19...

1/27/25, 8:39 PM CHAPTER XIX MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Statistics 1901 CHAPTER XIX MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Statistics 1901. The passenger and Freight statistics complied by railways are designed principally to assist the Chief Commercial Managers in keeping themselves posted with the trends of traffic These statistics should be intelligently analysed to enable appropriate action to be taken, as necessary, to maximize the earnings and economical utilisation of the available equipment. Overcrowding in Trains 1902. Every effort should be made to relieve overcrowding in trains. A regular machinery should be organised by each Railway, to gauge quantitatively the extent of overcrowding in various trains and over different sections. A census of the occupation of trains in relation to the seating capacity thereof should be conducted regularly at a fairly large number of points over different sections of the railway, in a systematic manner, so as to cover the whole Railway once every year. The results of the periodical census so conducted should be carefully scrutinised and suitable adjustments made in the composition of trains and in the distribution of accommodation in different classes to make the best use of available resources. Opening of Flag Stations and Train Halts 1903. Flag stations and train halts required for public conveyance may be opened by Railway Administrations in the following circumstances :— (a) Flag station.— (i) when these are financially justified, and (ii) the proposed site is at least 5 KMs. from the station on either side in the case of non- suburban areas. (b) Train Halts — (i) when there is financial justification for opening a train halt but not for a flag station, and (ii) In the non-suburban areas, the site of the proposed halt is at least 5 KMs. from the station/halt on either side. However, if the new halt is otherwise remunerative, or the loss is upto Rs. 10,000 per annum, but infringes the distance limit of 5 KMs., opening of such a halt may be sanctioned by the General Manager of a Zonal Railway in consultation with the FA & CAO. 1904. If these conditions are not fulfilled, a Flag Station or a Train Halt may still be opened as a passenger amenity, if the Railway Administration is satisfied of the need for doing so on grounds of the volume of passenger traffic. In such cases, however, the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee must be consulted and suitable recommendation made to the Railway Board under whose orders alone such halts may be opened. 1905. In opening New Halts, a Railway Administration must be satisfied that the provision of the halt will not involve the railway in leakage of revenue on account of ticketless travel. Working of Train Halts 1906. The working of Halts should ordinarily be entrusted to reliable contractors permanently living in the locality and doing railway work on a part time basis, such as. village post masters, and retired railway servants living in the locality. An agreement in the prescribed form should be executed by the contractor with the Railway https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh19_data.htm#1901. 1/3 1/27/25, 8:39 PM CHAPTER XIX MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Statistics 1901 Administration. Rate of Commission payable to Halt Agents 1907. The Halt Agent should be paid a commission as a percentage of the earnings of the Halt on the following basis:— (i) The ceiling limit of commission payable to Halt Agents shall be upto 15 per cent. However, exact percentage of commission to be given shall be determined/fixed by the Commercial Department of the Railways in consultation with the Finance, keeping in view the workload involved and the sales expected so that the halt agent can get reasonable remuneration for the quantum of work done by him. (ii) Thereafter, the percentage of commission shall be reviewed whenever the total monthly commission exceeds Rs. 1000 per month in case of stations having halts of 6 trains or less: or exceeds Rs. 1.500 per month in case of stations having halts of more than 6 trains. Railways are empowered to give commission beyond Rs. 1,000—Rs. 1,500 per month within the upper rate limit of 15% if they find after review that payment of higher commission to the halt agent is justified. (iii) The minimum commission payable shall be Rs. 400 per month. Periodical Examination of existing Halts 1908. A periodical examination of existing halts should be made and the possibility of converting such halts into Flag stations, wherever justified should be considered on a programmed basis. The question of closing down where the average number of passengers utilising it is less than 10 per day or whose retention is otherwise not found justified, should also be considered. Redressal of Public Grievances 1909. (i) Each Railway Administration should provide both in the headquarters Office and in the Divisional Office grievance redressal machinery for dealing promptly with public grievances and their redressal. At the headquarters' level, this machinery will be headed by the Additional General Manager and at the divisional level by the Addl. Divisional Railway Manager. (ii) Complaint books should be provided in Assistant Station Master's Office, in Refreshment Room, in Restaurants and Dining Cars, with guards of all trains earning Passengers excluding suburban trains and at other suitable places, so that the members of the public may conveniently record their suggestions and register their complaints about the services provided by the railways, including catering and vending services or about the railway staff. (iii) Complaint books should be properly bound and their pages machine-numbered. The inside top cover of each complaint book should bear the stamp of the Office of issue. (iv) Suitable boards in English and the local languages should be displayed in waiting rooms, waiting halls and other appropriate places to indicate that a complaint book is available with the Assistant Station Master on duty. (v) Complaint books in refreshment room, restaurants, etc. should be kept at conspicuous places. (vi) In the case of complaints against railway staff, it is not necessary to indicate to the complainant the disciplinary action taken against the staff at fault. (vii) Adequate statistics should be compiled of complaints received, the number enquired into and the average time taken in their disposal. These statistics should be periodically studied and appropriate action taken to ensure that each registered complaint is disposed of within a reasonable time. (viii) Complaint books at stations should be scrutinised by inspecting officials and officers whenever they inspect the station. https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh19_data.htm#1901. 2/3 1/27/25, 8:39 PM CHAPTER XIX MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Statistics 1901 (ix) The functioning of the public grievances machinery should be reviewed every month and a monthly progress report should be submitted to the Railway Board. The report should cover the following items:— (a) highlights of the month: (b) cause-wise analysis and comments on the same; (c) disposal position of grievances; (d) redressal of grievances figuring in newspapers: (e) position of cases filed under the Consumer Protection Act; (f) punishment imposed against erring staff; (g) position of personal hearings given to complainants; and (h) important measures taken regarding redressal of public grievances and reduction of public complaints. Loss of Revenue through Misdeclaration or under Weighment of Consignment 1910. Adequate machinery should be provided by Railway Administration to check consignments at destinations with a view to preventing leakage of revenue through misdeclaration or underweighment of consignments. A suitable percentage of the total inward consignments to be subjected to such checks should be laid down. Surprise checks should also be conducted by Inspectors and Officers of the Commercial Department. Statistics showing the result of these checks should be compiled with a view to obtaining an idea of the extent of loss of revenue caused on account of misdeclaration and underweighment and to exploring ways and means for effecting further improvement. Frauds 1911. In dealing with cases of fraud and embezzlement by railway staff, the provisions of Chapter XI of the Indian Railway Financial Code. Volume I (First Edition, 1982) should be borne in mind. Safe Custody of Money Value Documents 1912. Printed or other tickets, railway receipt books and other similar documents must be kept in safe custody. Destruction of Records 1913. The periods for which station and other records connected with commercial working are to be preserved should be prescribed by the General Manager. For the preservation of records of initial accounts and other records as may be connected with the accounts rendered to the Accounts Department, the periods should, however, be prescribed in consultation with the Financial Adviser and Chief Accounts Officer. The periods upto which the records of the Accounts Offices are to be retained are detailed in Appendix IX of the Indian Railway Code for the Accounts Department, Part I, 1984. https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh19_data.htm#1901. 3/3