Railway auctions lost property, uses proceeds for beautifying station

railway station

If you have lost any of your belongings while travelling by train, make sure to claim it within two months, or else it will be auctioned. The Railway Police Force (RPF) takes the items left behind in custody for a period of two months. Following this, if there are no claimants, the lost items are auctioned at the Pune station's Railway Parcel Office.

Hammer falls: The railway officials find 20 lost items, such as sunglasses, cameras, books etc, in a month on an average. File Pic for Representation

Commuters often leave behind books, sunglasses, cameras, music players and a host of other items. Railway authorities claim that more than 85 per cent of these items are left behind in long-distance trains, as passengers are in a hurry to get off at their desired stations, and in the process tend to forget some of their stuff.

Senior police inspector, Pune RPF, D S Rajput, said, "Every day we check the forgotten luggage with the dog squad, and on an average, we get 20 lost items in a month. They are kept in police custody and if there is no first investigation report (FIR) lodged, then we inform the railway authorities about it."

Public relations officer of Pune railway division, Yogendra Kumar Singh, said, "More than 90 per cent of passengers travelling in long-distance trains tend to leave behind their reading glasses, sunglasses, watches, books, cameras, headphones, pillows and clothes in the train.

"When we find the lost item, we also try to find out the details of the passengers from the reservation slips or tags on the bags. If the claimants do not come forward within two months, then the items are auctioned on 25th of each month. The money earned we is used for the beautification of the railway station."

85
The percentage of lost items, which are found in long-distance trains