The expectations of commuters of clean public transport are often not met because of a combination of factors, for which both authorities and the public are to blame.
For instance, the lakhs of people who live in the city and its extended areas use suburban train services and hope to have a comfortable ride.
But a common grievance from commuters is that compartments in some trains that originate from Chengalpattu, Tambaram, Chennai Beach and Velachery (MRTS) are littered with plastic and paper waste, groundnut shells, vegetable and fruit peels.
“I take the 11.35 a.m. service from Velachery to Chennai Beach for work every day. On many occasions, coaches are full of litter,” points out S. Nirmal, a commuter. Sources in Southern Railway say most rakes are kept overnight at Electric Multiple Unit car sheds at Tambaram, Avadi and Velachery. The floors are swept, and exteriors are given a water wash and mopped.
An official at one of the Car Sheds attributed the problem to staff shortage. “It is very difficult for workers to clean each and every compartment of every train that comes to the shed,” he says.
Half the problem will be solved if commuters dump the trash in garbage bins at the stations, he adds. Commuters however are firmly of the view that the administration was not focussing on coach maintenance as seriously as it ought to.
