Many don't know that items lost on train can be reclaimed

What are the belongings that people lose or forget behind most often on trains? From the most common to valuables to things one just cannot do without, the inventory of items registered at the Platform Inspector's Office at Chennai Central is long. Recurring frequently in the list of lost and found items are vanity purses, laptops and shoulder, shopping and travel bags.

Descriptions of the close to 600 items found by railway officials and passengers this year are listed in the records, although only a small percentage of the owners have come to claim them. For instance, in July, nearly 80 items are recorded as being left behind by passengers but only 29 have been claimed. One main reason is lack of awareness among passengers of what happens to the items lost and found on trains. There is a Lost Property room in the Central station where all the items found on the train are kept and returned to the owner if there is “some clue”.

As an extension of this facility offered for years now, the Railways recently added a new feature where the list of lost items found are put up on the Southern Railway website. “Many were unaware of such a facility the Railways offered, so we thought to have it online too,” says S.R. Gandhi, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force, Chennai, adding that the response since the details were made available online is good.

“The information such as the description of the items found, place of recovery… will be available for three months. If still people do not come to claim, the items will be auctioned,” says Mr. Gandhi.

Whatever be the item, much of the possibility of recovery depends on the ‘clues.' Citing an example, B. Balasubramani, a platform inspector, recalls someone handing over a lost purse containing five gold bangles. “We just had one clue that the bangles were bought from a jewellery store in Chennai through the engraving. So we contacted the showroom, where they said the customer had exchanged old jewellery for new. They traced the customer and after a month, the passenger collected the item,” he says.

The Southern Railway on its part records the particulars in detail such as “item, location, secured and witnessed by, handed to and cash if any remitted.” But, many such lost articles, if not collected, are sent to the Lost Property Depot. If cash is found, it is remitted to the booking office.

While claiming ownership, the persons who lost the item have to convince the authorities that it is their product. So, if you are looking for that Fab India gift voucher, red and black mobile phone, Telugu Bible, Citizens calculator in a black zip bag, TN Government television, lungi or maroon ladies bag, make sure to jog your memory first - this is just a sample of some of the articles on the list.