Co-passengers suffer as Tipplers in coach call the shots as co-passengers suffer

MADURAI: When a young woman doctor boarded a train to Kanyakumari at Chennai Egmore last week, little did she realise that her entire journey would be a nightmare that cannot be etched from her memory so easily. The reason: the woman had to encounter some tipplers in the coach who had this 'we care a damn attitude about co-passengers; a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) who was not very forthcoming to help and the railway police, who were of little help, according to her in a mail that was shot off to the media.
The popular notion that train journey is considered safe and comfortable and preferred even above luxury buses at times for once became questionable with this instance. While it is not new that many passengers come drunk or mix the liquor with any aerated drink and consume it inside the toilets, this particular case of these men on Kanyakumari Express who were consuming alcohol right inside train in full view of the co-passengers left a lasting impression about the callous attitude of the authorities concerned.
According to the doctor, she, along with her mother boarded the second AC coach on train no. 12633 Kanyakumari Express from Chennai and stumbled upon a group of tipplers inside. As soon as train started from Tambaram, they men closed the curtains and started consuming alcohol unmindful about the women and children in the compartment.
Disturbed by this, she preferred a complaint with railway helpline and alerted the TTE, but to no avail. While the TTE turned a blind eye and offered little help; the railway police who came for an inquiry at Villupuram reprimanded the doctor and her mother for lodging the complaint. Another police party came to investigate at Vriddhachalam after she contacted helpline again but only collected her complaint, she claims in the mail.
"Not a word was spoken to the culprits. Those men having understood that we couldn't do anything to them even after our hardest efforts just kept laughing at us, at our helplessness. And all of us, the ones who dared to raise our voice against the wrongs had to spend a restless night worried that they might hurt us in retaliation," she said in the mail. S P Jayapragasam, former member of divisional rail user consultative committee and president of Tamil Nadu foodgrains merchants association limited said it was not just a one-off case of tipplers using train compartments to booze. "While they make merry consuming alcohol, families travelling in the coach have to stay awake scared of them," he said.
"The situation is worse in two-tier AC coaches when compared to sleeper coaches and tipplers could become a real menace and turn the train journey miserable. Many such incidents go unreported," said P Edward Jeni, secretary of Kanyakumari district rail users association (KKDRUA).
Railway employee sources on the other hand said that politicians and affluent people are difficult to deal with in this scenario. "There were cases when TTEs were abused while intervening especially in case of politicians," a railway employee said. First class and two-tier AC coaches are usually preferred by tipplers for the privacy it offers, they said.
Meanwhile, rail users have urged the railway authorities to take stringent action against tipplers as well as railway employees not helping passengers. "Many a times, TTEs turn a blind eye and what is even worse is that coach attenders join tipplers. Railways should take stern measures to prevent drinking in coaches," stressed Jayapragasam. "Initiating departmental action against railway employees and legal action against tipplers including politicians will bring this menace to an end," said Jeni.