India, Oct. 20 -- The nuisance of commuters playing music and watching videos at a high volume on their mobile phones during train journeys will soon prove costly. Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) are set to penalise those who disturb fellow commuters thus, with proposed penalties ranging from Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000 and imprisonment of six months. This will be carried out under Section 145 of the Indian Railways Act which pertains to "causing nuisance".

On Monday, the railway authorities directed staffers to begin apprehending commuters listening to mobile phone content loudly and without earphones. Railway officials said they would implement the decision in local trains and later in long-distance trains. "We will first issue ...