law: Railways Act, 1989
  90. Disposal of unremoved goods at notified
  
  stations.  
  (1) If any goods entrusted for carriage to any notified station
  
  by a train intended solely for the carriage of goods are not, removed from such
  
  station by a person, entitled to do so within a period of seven days after the
  
  termination of transit thereof at such station, the railway administration may,
  
  subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), sell such goods by public auction
  
  and apart from exhibiting, in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3)
  
  of section 89, a statement containing a description of such goods, it shall not
  
  be necessary to give any notice of such public auction, but the date on which
  
  such auction may be held under this sub-section may be notified in one or more
  
  local newspapers, or where there are no such newspapers, in such manner as may
  
  be prescribed.
  Provided  that if at any time before the sale of such
  
  goods under this sub-section, the person entitled thereto pays the freight, and
  
  other charges and the expenses due in respect there of to the railway
  
  administration, he shall be allowed to remove such goods.
  (2) If any goods which may be sold by public auction under
  
  sub-section (1) at a notified station, being essential commodities, are
  
  required by they Central Government or the State Government for its own use or
  
  if the Central Government or such State Government considers that it is
  
  necessary for securing the availability of all or any such essential
  
  commodities at fair prices so to do, it may, by order in writing direct the
  
  railway servant in-charge of such auction to transfer such goods to it or to
  
  such agency, co-operative society or other person (being an agency,
  
  co-operative society or other person subject to the control of the Government )
  
  engaged in the business of selling such essential commodities as may be
  
  specified in the direction. 
  (3) Every direction issued under sub-section (2) in respect of
  
  any essential commodity shall be binding on the railway, servant to whom it is
  
  issued and the railway administration and it shall be a sufficient defense
  
  against any claim by the person, entitled to the goods that such essential
  
  commodities have been transferred in compliance with such direction. 
  Provided  that- 
  (a) such direction shall not be binding on such railway servant
  
  or the railway administration- 
  (i) if it has not been received by the railway
  
  servant sufficiently in time to enable him to prevent the sale of the essential
  
  commodities to which it relates; or
  (ii) if before the time appointed for such
  
  sale, the person entitled to such goods pays the freight and other charges and
  
  the expenses due in respect thereof and claims that he be allowed to remove the
  
  goods; or
  (iii) if the price payable for such goods (as
  
  estimated by the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State
  
  Government) is not credited to the railway administration in the prescribed
  
  manner and the railway administration is not indemnified against any additional
  
  amount which it may become liable to pay towards the price by reason of the
  
  price not having been computed in accordance with the provisions of sub-section
  
  (4);
  (b) where directions are issued in respect of the same goods
  
  both by the Central Government and the State Government the directions received
  
  earlier shall prevail.
  (4) The price payable for any essential commodity transferred in
  
  compliance with a direction issued under sub-section (2) shall be the price
  
  calculated in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 3 of
  
  the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955):
  Provided  that- 
  (a) in the case of any essential commodity being a food-stuff in
  
  respect whereof a notification issued under sub-section (31) of section 3 of
  
  the Essential Commodities Act 1955 (10 of 1955), is in force in the locality in
  
  which the notified station is situated, the price payable shall be calculated
  
  in accordance with the provisions of clauses (iii) and (iv) of that
  
  sub-section;
  (b) in the case of an essential commodity being any grade or
  
  variety of food grains, edible oil-seeds or edible oils in respect whereof no
  
  notification issued under sub-section (10 of section 3 of the Essential
  
  Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955), is in force in the locality in which the notified
  
  station is situated, the price payable shall be calculated in accordance with
  
  the provisions of sub-section (3B) of that section;
  (c) in the case of an essential commodity being any. kind of
  
  sugar in respect whereof no notification issued under sub-section (3A) of
  
  section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act 1955 (10 of 1955), is in force in
  
  the locality in which the notified station is situated, the price payable
  
  shall, if such sugar has been booked by the producer to himself, be calculated
  
  in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3C) of that section.
  Explanation.-  For the purposes of this clause, the
  
  expressions "producer" and "sugar" shall have the meanings
  
  assigned to these expressions in the Explanation to sub-section (3C) of section
  
  3, and clause (e) of section 2 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of
  
  1955), respectively.