For the sheer number of people using the Indian Railways and the number of trains that operate every day, the generation of garbage is mind-boggling (“ >For a Swachh Bharatiya Rail ,” Oct.15). Dirty coaches, smelly toilets and an indifferent attitude towards cleanliness have become the bane of our Railways. The public must help the government-run giant by observing discipline in enforcing garbage disposal.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchi
The lack of cleanliness has multiple dimensions. One can blame the Railways for its inefficiency, but the problems it faces are massive. There has to be a well-thought-out strategy in which the participation of all must be ensured. Private investment needs to be encouraged by the Railways. Coaches must have dustbins placed in the right locations.
Rahul Yadav,
Tiruchi
Some of the remedies suggested are for the long term and require heavy financial outflow. Also, there must be efforts to involve the departments concerned. Some years ago the Railways introduced a “Service Improvement Group” that functioned at all zonal levels. The station manager was the group leader who ensured overall cleanliness and passenger comfort that included checking whether fans and lights in compartments worked. As there was higher-level supervision, the scheme was a success. But like many good things, it was abandoned without notice.
M.K.B. Nambiar,
Mahe
It is time the Indian Railways adopted state-of-the-art train maintenance centres. At the same time, passengers must also be thoughtful and cooperate in helping the Railways.
Aziz Luna,
Chandigarh
Cleanliness has to start from the consumer. The fact is that a huge amount of litter is contributed by the travelling public, who must ensure that garbage is not thrown on the platforms and on to tracks. Severe fines could be deterrents, but who is to monitor this? Cleanliness within a train is the responsibility of the Railways and it must see to it that an agency entrusted with the job does it efficiently.
G. Ramachandran,
Thiruvananthapuram
