Let me narrate some of my hardships of this simple process when I parceled
by motorcycle recently (December 2022).
Coming back to railway parcel, few guys with red towels in
the railway station who came forward to assist me in emptying the petrol tank
of the motorcycle and do the packing for 500Rs. It is reasonable and I agreed
for that. They did it within 20 minutes. Sounds good. The packing of the bicycle was very simple, does not need effort. The packing guy informed me that the officials at the parcel office took their lunch break and will be back after 4pm. It was true, saw the luggage and parcel office locked from inside. Count one hour already... 3pm
to 4 pm.
4 pm the office gates were open, slowly the place became vibrant,
and the officers one by one slowly arrived. It seems they used the gap between
trains for their lunch break, very logical and reasonable. Once the officers
arrived, they were busy scheduling the parcels for the next train from the
station, and unfortunately there were 2 trains within a span of 30 minutes and
that made them work hard. Everyone was extra busy in sending parcels on the
train, and not bothered about people who came to send parcels. Some
officials seated in the office were not bothered at all about what is
happening around them. If anything is asked,
simply show the finger to an empty seat or someone who is busy with documents
for the train.
Around 445pm, a peon/clerk guy who was seated there from 4 pm finally checked the papers and the form he gave earlier, made some corrections, gave some additional forms to be filled and asked to make some corrections in the form etc. He asked me to write the chassis number, engine number, registration number of motorcycle, etc... etc. He asked me to write separate form for bicycle, not one form for motorcycle and bicycle. Asked me to attach Aadhar card copies with the forms, a declaration for GST, all separately for each parcel. He also advised me that if the value of the goods I parcel is mentioned by me more than 50,000 Rs, extra GST will be added in the parcel charges, and it would increase the transportation parcel charges.
Since
the parcel office was not crowded the slow rhythm did not make me feel bad. Saw
some people patiently waiting to receive their parcels that came from the train
also.
Around 515pm or so, after all corrections and verifications, the clerk/peon guy asked me to take clearance from the railway police for the motorcycle. The bicycle doesn't need clearance. The police station, he said, is situated in the other end of the station. The police officer who was in charge of signing was very friendly, though I asked whether any fees needed for signing and stamping, he said no fees. The people who packed my motorcycle come now and then, asked the clerk to check our papers, as if they are helping me for the 500 Rs received for packing. The leader of the red towel, who took initiatives to pack my motorcycle told me that there is another guy, a head of his red towels, a sardar should be paid some money, otherwise he would see that the parcels are NOT loaded in the train.
My goodness.
I recalled an old experience of mine 4 years back when I parceled some household goods in an old trunk by Indian Railways, that was lying in the same railway station where the parcel was booked for 3 weeks, no body to load it in the train in Kerala because my father-in-law who went to the parcel office did not grease the battalion of red towels in the station. I thought, this problem is only in the literate State of Kerala, which is famous for Nokku kooli or gawking wages or simply translated 'wages for looking at it' (those who do not know can read the link from Wikipedia about the Kerala Special Nokku kooli). I am not aware that it is widespread wherever you see red towels in India, or better, at all the government offices.
Come back to the payment session, the billing clerk took nearly 15 to 20 minutes to prepare the waybills. He was angry at me at one point for staring at him working in the computer preparing the receipt so slowly. He asked me to sit in the bench, (though there were few people standing behind me to send their parcels) and he would call me when the bill is prepared. He started to calculate the kilometers, check the motorcycle and bicycle physically and finally asked me to pay the amount. He also requested to pay a little extra money to him for his work. He looked decent in his attire, gracious in his face, but still asked me extra money. As a slavish obedient man, I paid the amount in the receipt and some extra to him thinking about the fate of my motorcycle and the corruption in the glorious Indian government offices. No wonder everyone wants a government job, spending thousands of rupees and wasting the youth.
By 540pm, I thought, all works are over... Not yet. A clerk who checked the papers earlier, pasted a sticker in the motorcycle and bicycle package, after the payment was done. He also politely told me that there is a train going to Bangalore the next day night (16 Friday) and the bicycle and motorcycle will be sent in that train, a SMS alert will be given in the mobile number. He too asked for some money for his work. I told him that I already greased a little extra to the billing clerk thinking that he would share his loot. He sheepishly said that his loot is his share, not for sharing. I paid him extra as if Indian Railways is not giving him his monthly salary.
All my actions for the bribes (if politely said- paying extra money) are justified (I don't know whether it can be justified) for the love of my motorcycle and its safe passage. All the payments and extra payments are done thinking about the unattended journey of more than 3000 kms my motorcycle and bicycle are waiting to take in the subcontinent by the Indian Rail. From 3pm to 5 45pm, finally I booked my parcels successfully. I sense of satisfaction engulfed me.
Fortunately, one of my friends was travelling the next day on the same train. So, I requested him to have an eye on my parcels as he boards the train. Also, to remind the guys who were greased extra by me to load them in the train. My friend confirmed that my bicycle and motorcycle parcels were in the platform waiting to be loaded. I was very jubilant. Finally, my bicycle and motorcycle will take an all-India tour and I will receive them after 3 days. When the train left in the night, I received an alert in my mobile that the bicycle parcel is loaded in the train, no message about the motorcycle. My friend messaged me that they did not load the motorcycle in the train as there was no space available for big luggage in the parcel wagon. Only the bicycle is loaded. My jubilation became sorrow because bicycle was bought before 4 years for 13,000 rupees whereas my motorcycle (February 2020) was 2,25,000 rupees????
The train carrying bicycle arrived at the destination 1.30
hours late on Monday around 1130am. I was at the station waiting for the arrival of the
train. Once the train arrived and the parcels unloaded, I went to the parcel
office to collect my bicycle. The clerk prepared a bill saying that there were
no charges and gave it to me which I gave to another section to deliver my
bicycle. The process was very simple and stress-free. I removed the packing and
straight away drove the bicycle home. Very happy about the railway parcel.
Regarding the motorcycle, which was not loaded in the train on 16 Friday, one of my students went to the station and confirmed that it's still in the station waiting for the next Friday train, that's on 23rd.
On 23 Friday night I was anxious to check my mobile for alerts. I was travelling in the car that night, stopped the car and checked for any alerts, there was none. I was shocked and perplexed as to what to do. However, in the morning when I reached home in another town, I checked the website with PNR number and saw that it was loaded on 23 Friday train. I didn't get an alert in the mobile. My student also confirmed after enquiring the railway station that it was loaded on 23 Friday night train, and I will receive it on 26 Monday. Remember, the motorcycle parcel was booked on 15th Thursday for the train on 16 Friday, but it was loaded on 23 Friday. On 26 Monday the train arrives the destination with my motorcycle.
I received a mobile alert at 12.04pm on 26 Monday stating "1 out of 1 pkgs of PRR No. 20161xxxxx unloaded at SMVB from train no. 2xxxx on 26-12-2022 11:16.öStop SMS email sms2pms¡gmail.com with subject STOP <mob §no> CRIS/PMS".
Since I was out of town, plan to take it on 28 Wednesday morning. Checked few websites for the penalty for taking the luggage after one or two days. As the Indian Railways updates its charges every now and then after the present government’s so called nation building initiatives, I was not able to pinpoint how much I have to pay as penalty. Some websites carry information published few years back, no updated information I was able to get from any website.
On 28 morning I went to the railway station and
saw my motorcycle standing there to be delivered. I went to the office, handed
over my papers and the officer checked the computer and told me that there was a delay of 46 hours in taking delivery; only 6 hours are permitted without penalty, every extra hour after that carry 10Rs. As per the computer billing, I have to pay Rs.431. The billing Cleark said something in Hindi, I told him I don't know that language, please speak in Kannada. He was extremely happy to hear that. He informed me, even though the parcel was booked on 15th and unloaded from the train on 26th, he can't do anything because the payment is computer generated. I
paid the penalty and got a clearance receipt.
As I was busy unpacking my motorcycle, a guy with red towel
again appeared. RED TOWEL again... A kind of panic reaction started in me the moment I saw red towel. He checked my papers like an officer and asked me in Hindi language something, which I understood as asking for charges for unloading from the train. I told him politely that I don’t
know Hindi, please talk in Kannada or Tamil or English. He told me in Tamil that the motorcycle was taken from the train by laborer that should be
paid, the bill I paid is for Indian railways, not for laborer. I told him politely that I never received bribe from anyone in my life or
asked anyone to pay extra, so I have nothing to pay, it is the duty of
the railway to deliver my luggage. He disappeared silently.
The motorcycle started without any problem, and I drove away from the parcel office to a shade in the railway station to have a thorough check in the motorcycle. The railways station parking place was less crowded that day, probably less trains depart/arrive that time. There was one small scratch in the front mudguard, except that it was fine. 500 Rs packing, train parcel charges, greasing every possible employee who did some works in the office (except the railway police) red towel leader in the station of origin, finally I received motorcycle successfully. I opened the petrol tank, and some leftover Petrol was visible to my naked eyes that gave me confidence to drive to the nearby Petrol station that was almost 1km away.
Finally, I reached home with a happy note and a big smile in my face. I was successful in bringing my motorcycle to Bangalore from Northeast by the great Indian Railways.