The North Central Railway’s Prayagraj division will begin levying charges on passengers carrying luggage beyond the prescribed weight limits and install baggage scanners at stations to curb the carriage of narcotics and other prohibited items, officials announced on Tuesday.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Himanshu Shukla said that unbooked luggage is frequently detected in large numbers during train journeys, with narcotics also being found in such baggage.

As part of the new measures, baggage scanners will be installed at entry and exit points, and tags will be issued for registered baggage. Passengers carrying excess luggage will be required to book it as parcels at standard parcel rates, he added.

The move is aimed at tightening security and ensuring compliance with railway regulations, while also addressing misuse of unbooked baggage carriage.