The life-line of Indian subcontinent – Indian Railways, which on 1st June had started a new rule according to which the passengers would be charged with money if they had extra luggage with them, needless to say the new rule was heavily criticized by the passengers.
And after 6 days of the implementation of new rule, the Indian Railway on 7th June dropped the plan of charging the passengers travelling with extra baggage. The 30-year old rule was brought into action from 1st June this year. According to the Indian Railway Ministry spokesperson Rajesh Bajpayee, the drive was merely to make people aware of how carrying excess luggage causes inconvenience to other travellers.
“It was felt that in the heavy summer rush, passengers carrying excess luggage cause much inconvenience to fellow passengers. Hence, a special education-cum-awareness drive was launched,” the spokesperson said. The drive was meant to inform passengers about the provisions regarding free baggage allowance, the maximum luggage that can be carried and other provisions, he stated.
The Railway had launched a six-day drive from 1st June to check for passengers with excess baggage. But the decision to strictly enforce the rule to penalize the passengers up to six times the stipulated luggage weight had led to widespread criticism among the travellers of the Railways. Following the new rule the people took to social media to denounce the move as the Indian public is largely dependent on the Indian Railways and its convenient and affordable travelling rates.
According to the prescribed norms, a sleeper class and a second class passenger can carry luggage weighing 40 kg and 35 kg respectively without paying any extra money, and a maximum of 80 kg and 70 kg respectively by paying for the excess luggage at the parcel office. Similarly, an AC first class passenger can carry 70 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 150 kg after paying a fee for the excess 80 kg. An AC two-tier passenger can travel with 50 kg of luggage for free and another 50 kg by paying a fee and AC 3-tier sleeper/AC chair car passenger can carry 40 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 80 kg after paying a fee for the excess 40 kg.
To know more about the details of the Indian Railway baggage charges, please visit the official IRCTC website.
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