The parcel room at Ranchi station on Tuesday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Abhay Mahto’s motorbike set off for Barauni from Ranchi, travelled around Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for a week, and returned to Hatia, on a train.

LIC agent Mahto’s predicament began on December 12, when he booked his bike as a parcel aboard the Hatia-Gorakhpur Maurya Express. He wanted to send his vehicle to his village Bhagwanpur, barely 15km away from Barauni, so that his family could use it there.

What he did not take into account was what in railway parlance is known as “over carriage”. That happens when a parcel is not unloaded at its designated destination and continues to travel on board the train till such time it is loaded afresh for delivery.

In Mahto’s case, his bike travelled 1,714km instead of the intended 461km, and took more than seven days to be delivered.

When contacted, Mahto said he had to run from pillar to post to get his motorbike delivered. For someone sending goods by train for the first time, Mahto’s was a bitter experience.

“My motorbike was loaded on December 12. I deputed one Ram Uday Kumar Mahto with all necessary documents to receive the vehicle at Barauni. But the motorbike was not unloaded there. When Ram contacted the parcel office at Barauni station, he was told that he would have to come in the evening when the train returned as they had been unable to unload the motorbike due to paucity of time,” Mahto said.

However, Ram was unable to get the bike in the evening as well and was asked to come back the next day. This back and forth continued for a week, till Mahto was informed that his bike was at Hatia station, hardly 10km from Ranchi. “When I contacted the parcel office workers, they sent the bike on Monday and it finally reached Barauni on Tuesday,” a furious Mahto said.

Parcel officials at Hatia admitted the problem. “The motorbike reached the last destination of Maurya Express, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, when it was not unloaded at Barauni. From Gorakhpur, when it was sent to Barauni by the down train, it was again not unloaded and went on to Hatia, the last station on the other side. As many as 30 cases of over carriage are reported every month at Hatia. Though there is no chance of any parcel getting lost, it creates problem for senders, who expect quick delivery,” an official said, requesting anonymity.

Senior divisional commercial manager and spokesperson of South Eastern Railway K.S. Mukherjee also admitted the problem, stating it was “a part of the railway system”. He too added that except late delivery, there was no possibility of the parcels being misplaced.

A railway official, however, said employees posted at Barauni should be blamed for Mahto’s harassment. “The railways book parcels for only those stations where the train stops for five minutes and more. At Barauni, Maurya Express stops for one hour and there is no reason why the bike could not have been unloaded. Officials at Barauni should be asked to explain this lapse,” he said.