Our journey, our trains, our mess

Passengers have a big role to play in keeping railway stations clean, say authorities

September 17, 2014 12:56 am | Updated 01:13 am IST

A view of the the Cantonment Railway Station in Bangalore. — File Photo

A view of the the Cantonment Railway Station in Bangalore. — File Photo

Flooded floors in waiting rooms, trash-littered platforms, bedbug-infested trains, rats in the underbridge and human waste on tracks. Bangalore City Railway Station, with 1.5 lakh footfalls per day, has a bouquet of hygiene-related challenges.

Now, authorities in South Western Railway are looking at ways of dealing with at least two issues — clean toilets and bedbugs.

Under a pilot project, for the past one month, the Bangalore Division of South Western Railway (SWR) has been using a spray to keep toilets odour-free in long-distance trains originating in the city.

Sunanda Arul, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway, said the project uses a solution formulated by a Hyderabad-based scientist. It has human-friendly microbes and saves water needed to flush. Used once a day, it is effective for 72 hours. A litre costs Rs. 800 and can be used for 20 toilets. However, the problem of dealing with solid waste management at tracks and stations remains.

To deal with bedbugs, SWR is using a oil-based neem solution, which it is considering patenting. While trains originating in Bangalore are free of bedbugs, the problem is that the coaches are changed at other stations, which is a setback to the cleaning process.

At present, the work of keeping the City station clean is outsourced to private operators. The station has mobile bins for segregating waste, paper is recycled and food waste from canteens is sent to animal farms; water for cleaning platforms and tracks is sourced from an effluent treatment plant.

The CCTV cameras used for security by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) are used to aid hygiene inspections.

Railways authorities are working along with IT companies and NGOs to raise awareness of correct ways of waste disposal.

Marwan Abubaker, solid waste management expert of Hasiru Dala, said Railways must invest in infrastructure such as bins after which awareness programmes could begin.

Ms. Arul said it is most important to change people’s mindsets on keeping their surroundings clean.

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