Finally, platforms are clean and clear

LTT, Bandra Terminus and other stations have been wearing a cleaner look following clean-up operations launched by railways after MiD DAY's report

Finally, platforms are clean and clear

LTT, Bandra Terminus and other stations have been wearing a cleaner looku00a0following clean-up operations launched by railways after MiD DAY's report

SCORES of first-time visitors arrive in the city by train every day only to be greeted unceremoniously by platforms littered with garbage and decorated with paan stain patterns. That may, however, be set to change.

Following MiD DAY's report on dirty platforms ('Welcome to Dirt City', January 13), authorities of the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) have begun clean-up drives at railway platforms.

Railway workers hose down Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (above) and Bandra Terminus. Officials say the current system is to carry out mopping and sweeping operations thrice a day and washing every alternate day

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) and Bandra Terminus have been wearing a clean look for the past few days, giving many passengers a pleasant surprise.

A K Singh, PRO, CR, said, "Cleanliness is our focus now, but it is still an ongoing process. A machine that is capable of throwing out water in high-pressure jets is now doing the cleaning.

We have launched a clean-up drive at CST, Dadar, Mulund, Thane, Vidyavihar, Kalyan and some other stations. These drives will extend to other railway stations as well."

Both CR and WR are now using the mechanised cleaning method. "Earlier, platform cleaning took more time and effort as normal mops were used.

It was time consuming and sub-standard. But, with the new machines, stations are much cleaner," added Singh.

Officials said railways have to pay water bills running into crores of rupees and, if platforms are washed on an everyday basis, this figure could go up further.
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The current system is to carry out mopping and sweeping operations thrice a day and washing every alternate day.

Sharat Chandrayan, Chief PRO, WR, said, "We carry out clean-up operations thrice in 24 hours. The most difficult part of the cleaning is track picking.

Passengers throw gutkha pouches and other wrappers on the tracks making cleaning difficult. We request passengers to co-operate and help us maintain cleanliness."

Passengers' take

"I was travelling with my family and saw the railway authorities washing the platforms with some machine. It was a surprise and authorities should keep up the good work," said Geeta Rai, who alighted at LTT on Saturday after visiting her hometown in Uttar Pradesh.

You can call
In case you find obscene graffiti or litter in trains, you may inform railway authorities via SMS on 90044 11111 for CR and 90044 77777 for WR.

1.6 lakh
The number of passengers who come into the city via CR trains every day. The figure is 1 lakh for the Western Railways

This is part of MiD DAY's month-long audit of experiences of travelling in and out of the city, where we take up people's issues and place them before the authorities to address.

So far in the campaign...

Up in the air
To kickstart the campaign, MiD DAY aired passenger complaints regarding airlines misplacing, mishandling and damaging their luggage.u00a0
Following up on fleecing cabbies at the airport, we found that the ingenious cheats still manage to trap the odd gullible passenger.
We reported on how smartly-dressed touts, sporting fake uniforms of reputed hotels, take tourists for a ride at the airport.

Down by the tracks
Urinals at railway stations on the central and western lines are a breeding ground for diseases.
Paan-stained, filthy stations .

Taking the road less travelled
MiD DAY took a bone-shattering ride alongside regular passengers of MSRTC buses only to find that, barring a few, they continue to be rickety as ever.
MiD DAY found that passengers coming to the city by train are left to the mercy of the auto and taxi mafia outside stations, who quote ridiculous fares.