Earnings - Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Report No.6 of 2006 (Railways)allotment of BOXN rake consisting of 58 wagons against trainload indents bythe party. According to rules, once the rake is allotted it is the responsibility ofthe party to load the rakes within the free time allowed to get the benefit oftrain load classification. Under rules, the entire group of BOXN wagonsplaced for loading would be treated as one unit of the purpose of levy ofdemurrage charges. The calculation of detention by audit was done on thebasis of Chief Trains Clerk/ Sitarampur’s vetted statement of supply anddrawing of wagons from the siding for the concerned period. The RailwayAdministration instead of raising demurrage charges on entire rake fordetention of individual wagons, levied the demurrage on left behind wagonsonly. Thus, the demurrage charges levied were not in accordance with therules.2.5 Others2.5.1 South East Central: Non-recovery of shunting chargesRailwayFailure of Railway Administration to examine the working pattern of twosidings and non-levy of shunting charges as per instructions resulted in loss ofrevenue to the extent of Rs.2.32 croreIn December 1986, Railway Board decided that in new sidings which wereconstructed with facilities for handling full train loads and where trainsentered into or exited from the sidings without being dealt with in the stationyards, the freight charges should be levied up to the buffer end of the sidinginstead of up to the serving station. It was also stipulated that in such cases nosiding charges will be levied. In March 1987, the above provisions were alsomade applicable in respect of old sidings. However, when Railwaylocomotives were used to perform shunting inside the siding, shunting chargesas per rules were to be levied.South Eastern Railway (SER) notified (December 2002) Bijuri and WestJhagrakhand Colliery Sidings for levying freight charges up to the buffer endof sidings and directed the staff to add 2 kms and 11 kms respectively in thedistances notified up to the serving stations of these siding.However, later on it was seen that these sidings did not have adequatefacilities to handle train load traffic and Railway's locomotives were beingused for shunting operations inside the sidings. Railway Administrationdecided (June 2004) to levy shunting charges with effect from 3 February2004 in accordance with the Railway Board's instructions. The instructions ofcharging freight up to the buffer end of siding were also withdrawn from 20July 2004 and it was decided to levy siding charges as per past practice.Audit noted that the SER notified (December 2002) the sidings as havingfacilities for handling full train load traffic and decided to charge freight up tothe buffer end without carrying out a study of the working pattern of handlingof traffic. The incorrect decision was reversed after an indepth study wascarried out by the Railway in January 2004. As a result, though Railwaylocomotives were used for performing shunting inside the siding, the RailwayAdministration failed to levy and recover the shunting charges as per Railway64