Kochi: Railways in Kerala are not addressing the problems of the public who are fleeced by the porters and booking staff while visiting different stations in Kerala for sending parcels, the affected public said.
There is no system through which a common man could send cargo hasslefree without undergoing alleged harassment from parcel booking staff and porters who demand money from the public, they told the newsskerala.com.
The porters allegedly tell the public who come to collect their cargo by saying that only porters are allowed to carry luggage and do not allow workers brought by the public.
Porters and booking staff allegedly have a very good relationship. Porters are often allegedly seen entering the booking staff cabin and using the POS machine to pay money on behalf of those who are not seen anywhere in the vicinity.
Worst is the case of those who come to send their two wheelers which are allowed to be packed by porters for which they charge at their will.
While the railways have strict norms in sending chemicals and similar articles to different places, anyone approaching porters could get it cleared without any hassles. The porters have to write in the application form that the consignment is not flammable.
Ironically, railways do not allow genuine people to carry even empty LPG cylinders.
Those coming to send articles for the first time are made to struggle a lot by the booking clerk and porters.
Porters allegedly demand money while booking the consignment and receiving cargo by the people. In many places, portees come intoxicated as there is no mechanism by the railways to conduct screening of the porters to find if they are drunk or not, they said.
Photo Credit: Facebook
