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Modernisation of Stations for upgradation of amenities at Railway station is a continuous and on-going process which does not require any campaigning.
Special attention is given towards cleanliness and every endeavour is made to keep the stations & coaches including toilets in properly maintained and clean condition. Some of the major initiatives taken by Indian Railways towards improvement of cleanliness are as follows:
- Special Cleanliness Campaign under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched on Indian Railways on 2nd October, 2014. Regular intensive campaigns / drives have been organised since then over the Indian Railways with the sole objective to achieve significant and sustainable improvements in cleanliness standards. The campaigns/drives include display of posters/banners, announcements over public announcement system, wide participation of staff and involvement of social/charitable organizations and NGOs, ‘Nukkad Nataks’ on cleanliness theme etc.
- Provision of Mechanised cleaning contracts with improved processes and machinery at major stations has been intensified. Currently, mechanised cleaning is done at nearly 500 stations.
- To avoid the dropping of night soils on the platform lines, installation of Biotoilets in Coaches (excluding EMUs) have been intensified under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. It is now planned to install biotoilets in the entire broad gauge coaching fleet of Indian Railways by 2019.
- Cleaning of coaches including toilets of trains is done at both ends including mechanised cleaning.
- Coverage of On Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) has been increased. Currently, it is provided in more than 1050 pairs of trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and other important long distance Mail/Express trains for cleaning of coach toilets, doorways, aisles and passenger compartments during the run of the trains.
- ‘Coach Mitra’ facility has been introduced in about 1000 pairs of OBHS trains. ‘Coach Mitra’ is a single window interface to register coach related requirements of passengers such as cleaning, disinfection, linen, train lighting, air conditioning and watering of coaches.
- Third party audit and ranking of 407 major stations on cleanliness is also carried out annually since 2016 in order to identify weak points requiring more attention on cleanliness, to get feedback and instill healthy competition. A third party survey for assessment of cleanliness of 209 important trains has also been carried out recently.
- Standard bid document (SBD) and General Condition of Contract for Services (GCCS) have been issued to improve effectiveness of cleaning/housekeeping contracts.
- Enforcement of Indian Railways (Penalties for activities affecting cleanliness at railway premises) Rules, 2012 has been intensified.
The coaches running on Indian Railways (IR) are given periodic maintenance as per norms wherein all the safety and amenity fittings are examined for good working condition and defective components are repaired or replaced. Proper cleaning and full watering of all coaches is also ensured during maintenance.
This information was given in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.
