The letter was written following the unruly behaviour of 14 MLAs who held up the Devgiri Express on Saturday for over two hours, demanding reserved seats and forcing legitimate passengers out of the compartment.

Railway sources added that charges have been drawn up against four people holding second class current tickets, who accompanied the MLAs in the first class compartment.

The letter states that on October 18, the MLAs had asked for reservations for October 22, October 29 and November 5 to travel to Nanded. Accordingly, an extra coach was attached to the Devgiri Express and other seats arranged for under theRailways' Emergency Quota for October 22. However, no one travelled on that day, ``causing great financial loss to the Railways since the entire coach was hauled empty from CST to Nanded.''

The letter further states that a revised list was sent to the Railways as late as 12.30 pm on October 23. While eight MLAs were given confirmed tickets in second A/C on the Devgiri Express, the others were given tickets in first class on Emergency Quota. One MLA, N S Chauhan, was on the waiting list in first class.

According to the DRM, the trouble began when several ``unauthorised people accompanied the MLAs in the train demanding reserved seats. These included two gunmen who were travelling in first class without any valid authority.'' The letter says that waiting list passengers not provided with confirmed or RAC are not allowed to board the reserved compartments. Railway rules state that reserved accommodation is not guaranteed for waiting list passengers, and the Railways will not admit any claim for compensationfor inconvenience, loss or extra expenses due to such accommodation not being provided on trains.

Railway officials said they are always at the receiving end of harassment and unruly behaviour by MLAs and MLCs. ``Fridays and Saturdays during Vidhan Sabha sessions in the city are the worst, since they travel back to their constituencies on these days to return on Monday. Though they are given priority over others for reservations, they don't stop bullying us. If there is a slight delay in trains on Monday, when they have to reach the Vidhan Sabha, the issue is raised in the House and we are pulled up,'' says a senior official.

This is not the first time law-makers have held the Railways to ransom. In July this year, an MLA travelling on the 7001 Hyderabad-bound Hussain Sagar Express made the train halt first at Karjat and then at Pune for one hour and five minutes because he wanted a particular doctor from Sassoon Hospital in Pune to attend to him.

In July '98, 29 MLAs travelling on the Dadar-AmritsarExpress detained the train for two hours at Dadar since first class seats were not available and they had to travel by second sleeper class.