Kumar currently holds the stellar distinction of having collected the highest amount in fines in CR history i.e. Rs 2.12 crore from 22,996 ticketless travellers in 2022-’23.

“Dharmendra Kumar topped the list and set an all-time record, collecting Rs 2.12 crore from 22,996 ticketless passengers in 2022-2023. This is the highest ever in the history of CR.

Another ticket checker (TC) named S B Galande collected Rs 2 crore. Dharmendra’s colleague, S B Galande isn’t far behind, having collected Rs 200 lakh (₹2 crore) from 22,384 passengers,” said a CR official. 

This is the first ‘double hundred’ (200 lakhs) notched up by a CR ticket checker.

Dharmendra Kumar fined nearly 76 ticketless pax a day

‘Ticketless’ passengers in this context refers to those without a valid ticket for the compartment they are travelling in, and includes, for instance, someone travelling in a first-class compartment on a second-class ticket. 

Dharmendra Kumar’s tally of 22,996 ticketless passengers works out to 76 a day, assuming he worked around 300 days last year. For context, the average TC fines eight ticketless passengers a day andcollects about Rs 2,000,which works out to Rs 6.3 lakh annually.

The gross salary of a ticket checker is between Rs 45,000 and Rs 80,000 a month, depending on seniority.

Other TCs who cross Rs 1 cr mark

Apart from this, the other 21 ticket checkers of CR who crossed the Rs 1-crore mark in the last financial year are: Sunil D Nainani, H A Wagh, S S Kshirsagar , R M Gore, K K Patel, Vinay Ojha, S V Iyer, N B Kolekar, P M Gunjal, Allwyn Dyanprakash,  P V Thakur, Bhim Reddy, S K Gupta, B V Upoor, S S Baghel, Guddu Kumar, S V Raut, R K Gupta, B U Pawar, M M Shinde and R D Bahot. Of those crossing the Rs one-crore mark (including those who crossed the Rs 2-crore mark), 13 belong to the Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM) flying squad, including Dharmendra Kumar and S B Galande.

PCCM Flying Squad

The PCCM flying squad is a team of more than two dozen TCs attached to the CR headquarters, authorised to collect fines from passengers on both local and long-distance trains. Members of this squad can also check tickets in the entire central railway jurisdiction, including the Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Bhusawal and Nagpur divisions.

Apart from the 13 TCs of the PCCM flying squad, four TCs of this club belong to the Mumbai division of CR while four others belong to the Bhusawal division and the remaining two are from the Pune division of CR.

“TCs from the PCCM flying squad are constantly motivated to perform at their best while being given support and complete freedom,” according to a senior CR official. Their work, and the income they bring, is assessed regularly at the CR headquarters, he said.

“Central Railway has the privilege of the highest number of ‘crorepati’ ticket-checking staff. In all, 23 ticket-checking staff have realised more than Rs one crore in the last financial year,” officials further added. 

Super TCs felicitated by CR General Manager

CR General Manager Naresh Lalwani felicitated these super ticket checkers on Tuesday and also announced a cash award of Rs one lakh for the commercial department (ticket-checking staff belong to this department) for commendable work.

Dharmendra Kumar, who has been a TC for more than 20 years, said, “Seminars are conducted to guide us and this has brought a drastic change in our work culture. The best performers – both on the number of passengers and fines collected – are rewarded regularly. This acknowledgement and appreciation of our hard work motivates us to go beyond the call of duty.”

When asked about his secret to mark out ticketless travellers, Dharmendra Kumar disclosed: “You don’t need to look for them. They keep giving me hints by not making eye contact, or by just trying to hide behind a crowd.” Both Dharmendra Kumar and Galande spend more than 12 hours in trains daily. Asked where he lives, Galande jokes, “In trains. I spend an average of 12 to 13 hours a day on trains. I have two young children, but my wife manages everything well and never forces me to spend more time at home.”