CAG raises a stink over railways

Conducts a cleanliness audit for the first time in the organisation's history.

For the first time in its history, the department of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has conducted a cleanliness audit for the Indian Railways.

What is more, this has been done with the full cooperation of the railways, resulting in a unique document that methodically addresses the issue and makes numerous recommendations for improvement.

The audit report is unique in three other respects. One, it contains for the first time photographs to make its point.

Thus are seen pictures of an overflowing garbage dump and a broken wash basin in a waiting hall at Delhi station, and an open drain near a platform and an inaccessible toilet at Dadar station (Mumbai).

Two, other than inspecting trains, stations and railway records, the report has incorporated the findings of a sample survey of passenger opinion. Three, the report has graded 173 A category stations according to a composite score representing various aspects of cleanliness.

As many as 75 per cent of passengers surveyed feel that cleanliness in the railways has improved over the years, 84 per cent feel that various parts of stations are overcrowded and a good three-fourths feel that reducing crowding can help improve cleanliness.

Over half (51 per cent) say passengers are responsible for the filth and 20 per cent put the blame on vendors.

Of the stations graded, the top score was a mere 183 out of 300 (earned by two stations "" Secunderabad and Chennai Central), indicating that even the best had a long way to go.

"On an average, stations under Southern Railway and Central Railway fared much better than stations under other zonal railways," it said.

The New Delhi station ranked far below other premier stations and those which had better infrastructure and fewer encroachments fared well.