CONTINUOUS action and special campaigns are being conducted to curb illegal vending in the Jabalpur Railway Division. Between the current financial year from April to August 2026, action was taken against a total of 656 legal and illegal vendors in the division. These included 232 cases in April, 106 in May, 124 in June, 118 in July, and 76 in August. During the action, 230 illegal vendors were handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF). The illegal vendors handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) include 128 in April, 21 in May, 53 in June, 27 in July and one in August. The Railway Administration is also monitoring the sale of substandard food items along with illegal vending. To this end, special campaigns were launched, including food quality inspections and food testing at stations and trains. Cases of unauthorised vending have been reported from time to time on trains, including the Jabalpur station platform.

 

Therefore, the Railways faces the challenge of taking action, as well as ensuring that the detected vendors do not re-enter the railway premises. The Railway Administration is trying to control this problem through joint action with RPF and strategy of increasing the number of authorised vendors. Senior DCM, Jabalpur Railway Division, Shashank Gupta when contacted said that a joint drive is being conducted by the Railway administration and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to crack down on illegal vendors. He stated that the Railways has achieved success in these campaigns and is taking action against unauthorised vending cases. He added that the Railways is also focusing on increasing the number of authorized vendors to effectively control illegal vending. The Railways believes that having a larger number of authorised vendors will ensure that passengers are provided with food and other goods according to prescribed standards and will reduce the scope for unauthorised vendors.