Surprise inspections, hefty fines and strict vigil have ensured that New Delhi railway station looks clean and tidy and meets commuters’ expectations. When TOI visited the country’s largest and busiest station, it was in for a surprise to see clean tracks, stink-free washrooms and comfortable waiting rooms.
Thanks to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Northern Railway has taken a slew of measures to raise the sanitation standard of the station. Arun Arora, divisional railway manager, Northern Railway, said, “Keeping the station premises clean is a collective responsibility of the rail administration, vendors and commuters. He said these initiatives had been taken over the past two months on the lines of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and that the administration aimed at making the station one of the clean stations in the country.
“Our surprise visits have made an impact. The staff have become punctual and perform their duties properly. Also, our teams have intensified efforts to catch those found littering and fine them up to Rs 500. We have also issued strict instructions to the vendors to keep emptying their bins at regular intervals. Stickers and bills have been removed from walls and metal poles are being polished regularly,” Arora added.
He said such steps were helpful in reminding even the commuters to maintain cleanliness at the station premises.
Besides its own staff, the railway administration has engaged three private firms for the sanitation work. These companies have hired 300 workers to clean the tracks, platforms and station buildings. “The three firms — VPSSR Facilities, Primus Solution Enterprises and Apcon India — are working with us. There are 80 railway staff involved in the entire operation,” the senior railway official said.
