New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Expressing concern over misuse of railway passes issued to parliamentarians, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Friday said he would take up the issue with Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

Lalu Prasad, however, refused to blame the parliamentarians.

"Usually MPs are not responsible for these frauds. Their supporters are responsible," he told reporters here.

"I will be meeting the Lok Sabha speaker (Somnath Chatterjee) to find ways to check these."

He said he would finalise a strategy to remove the anomalies after consulting the speaker.

According to the minister, officials who issue these passes should ensure that they are for parliamentarians' travel only.

Coal Minister and Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha chief Shibu Soren's wife Ruby and two other family members were fined by railway authorities Tuesday for travelling by the Rajdhani Express using tickets that were allegedly obtained against the free railway pass issued to Soren.

Last week, Uttar Pradesh Haj Minister Haji Yaqoob Qureshi and his supporters were fined for travelling without tickets.

Lalu Prasad claimed there were some racketeers involved in these fraudulent activities. "Certainly there are some racketeer groups involved. We are trying to find out," he said.

The minister said such incidents have been exposed as "railway officials have become more alert".