Viral Drama: Family Allegedly ‘Steals’ Bedsheets On Purushottam Express, Sparks Debate – Railways To Take Action?

A family on its way on the Purushottam Express recently became the victim of a puzzling petty theft incident: they tried to steal bed sheets and other linens that the railways provided. The event, which trended after a video was uploaded onto the internet, depicts a member of the railway personnel confronting the family and a child who aim to conceal the stolen goods in their luggage. This outrageous conduct is not an isolated incident; railway officials have to figure with pilfering of railway property by passengers on a regular basis; pillows, blankets and even toilet mugs are stolen by them.

These acts do not only lead to massive loss of financial resources to the railways, but also, they lead to lack of such amenities in other passengers. This is done at the expense of the railways which bring these items to be comfortable to the travelers. The viral aspect of this particular event has led to a greater debate among people whether tougher actions to be applied to such travellers such as possible banning have to be applied to control this menace.

Passenger Misconduct

The issue of taking railway property by the passengers is not new. It is a nagging problem that the Indian Railways spends crores of rupees every year on it. The stolen goods that are supposed to make the travelling experience good, are instead taken as free souvenirs.

Civic sense and respect to the public property are lacking in this kind of behavior. Although the loss of finances is significant, the impact that it has caused on other passengers is also alarming. As soon as one of the passengers takes the blanket, the next client may lack it, which will directly impact his or her comfort and experience.  The viral video is a clear wakeup call to the sense of entitlement experienced by some passengers who believe that they can get away with such types of actions without any repercussions.

Demand for Stricter Penalties

The reaction of the people towards the video has been very much to act tougher on the punishments. It is believed that the existing punishments are not effective enough in preventing the same. The recommendations include imposing a fine to having a no-fly list or in this instance, no-travel list of frequent offenders. The point is to create the consequences that are so unpleasant that the potential of being caught prevents the bedsheet, which is of insignificant value.

The issue on the Purushottam Express shows that a serious policy is necessary that is not merely limited to warnings. Creating a good example of such violators and applying strict and obvious regulations, the railways can create a great message that such kind of behaviour will no longer be tolerated. The authorities should now start paying attention to this problem and make sure that the amenities provided to the people are accessible to everyone.

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