The Railway Board has introduced new rules for traders and businessmen who transport goods through railways. Under the new system, traders will now have to pay a much higher security deposit to book parcel vans.
The rules will affect businesses that regularly send fruits, clothes, shoes, groceries, and other products through the Agra railway division.
According to the Railways, these changes are aimed at stopping fake bookings, reducing unnecessary occupation of parcel vans, and making services available on time for genuine traders.
Security Deposit Increased Sharply
Railway Public Relations Officer Sanjay Kumar Gautam said that the Railway Board issued the new order on May 21.
Under the new rules, railway stations with very high demand for parcel vans will be called “notified stations.” Traders booking parcel vans from these stations will now have to deposit Rs 25,000 as security.
For normal stations, the deposit amount has been fixed at Rs 10,000.
Earlier, the security deposit was only Rs 5,000 at all stations. The Railways has now increased it significantly.
In the Agra division, Agra Cantonment railway station and Agra Fort railway station have been declared notified stations.
The Railways also said that goods must be removed within 7 days from these stations.
Booking Can Be Done 90 Days in Advance
Traders will now be allowed to book parcel vans up to 90 days before the loading date.
However, the Railways has introduced a strict lock-in period. The 10 days before the scheduled loading date will be treated as a lock period.
If a trader cancels the booking during this time, the entire security deposit will be forfeited.
But if the Railways fails to provide a parcel van within 10 days and the trader decides to cancel the booking, the full deposit amount will be refunded.
Late Loading May Lead to Heavy Penalties
The Railways has also clarified that priority will be given to traders who booked earlier.
If multiple applications are received for the same date, the first applicant will get the booking opportunity.
At the same time, if the parcel van is not used on time or goods are not loaded within the given schedule, the full deposit amount will be seized. Traders may also have to pay extra late charges.
The Railway Board has directed all railway zones across the country to implement these new rules soon
