The Central Railway has demanded Rs1,000 per page of train reservation information from an applicant whose relative is said to have died in an accident, on a journey from Kalyan to Nashik, in May.

The applicant, Ravindra Wabale, received this notice from the railways on July 24, 2013, in response to his application under the RTI Act. Under the right to information law, such information is to be charged at Rs2 a page (of the regular A4 size).

In fact, the information runs into 81 pages and Wabale would have to pay Rs81,000 for it. A railway official says that the charges have been set by the Railway Board.

Wabale has sought the reservation chart information to get in touch with other travellers on the train who may be able to help him find out more about his cousin's death. The cousin, Swapnil Surse, was a resident doctor at Mumbai's Cama and Albless Hospital.

On May 26, 2013, Surse was to journey from Kalyan to Nashik on the Geetanjali Express. His body was found the following day in Lasalgaon, about 60 km east of Nashik.

“The railway police said it was an accident. But we were told that his body was found way off from Nashik, his destination. The heart and kidneys were missing when we collected Swapnil's body,” said Wabale. Swapnil's phone SIM and memory cards were also missing.

“We were very disturbed by the incident. We wanted to get in touch with people who were travelling with him on the train and collect as much of details as possible to help us to get to the truth,” said Wabale, who lives in Ahmednagar. So the family made an application for a copy of the reservation chart that would help them to get details of passengers on the train.

Wabale said that he has made similar RTI applications before and got the information for a charge of Rs2 a page. “This is the first time that we have been told to pay such a huge amount. It shows that the railways does not want to give us the information and we need it very much,” he said.

The response from the Central Railway said, “In reference to your RTI application for furnishing copies of reservation chart of train numbers 12859 and 12869 dated 26-05-2013. It is informed that as per Railway Board's letter dated 13-12-2011 (copy enclosed) a fee of Rs1,000 per page is to be charged for furnishing a copy of reservation chart to any person. You are therefore requested to pay a total amount of Rs81,000 to railways for furnishing 81 pages by way of demand draft or banker's cheque...” The letter was signed by MA Kamble, chief commercial manager (PS) and public information officer.

When asked about this exorbitant charge, Atul Rane, chief public relations officer of the Central Railway in Mumbai, said, “One page of reservation chart has details of multiple PNR. We are governed by the Railway Board’s commercial circular no. 65 of 2011 where all the issues were discussed before fixing the rate.”

Wabale has now complained to the information commission about the unreasonable charges levied by the railways, said RTO activist SK Nangia.