The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has reported significant hygiene failures within the Railway Ministry’s passenger amenities. Despite the establishment of norms for services at stations, various zones have not adhered to these guidelines. This negligence has resulted in alarming discrepancies, including the detection of E. coli bacteria in drinking water from water coolers and unsanitary conditions in washrooms. The findings raise serious concerns about the safety and cleanliness of facilities provided to passengers.
The CAG said the report covered instances identified during its 2019-20 to 2023-24 test audit, along with earlier cases not reported previously and, wherever necessary, instances from after 2023-24 as well. There are 5,908 railway stations under the Non-Suburban Group (NSG), and Indian Railways operated over 7,424 passenger trains (non-suburban) daily and carried 292.4 crore non-suburban passengers in 2023-24, according to the report. It said that at these 458 stations, MEAs were either not provided at all or were available below the prescribed norms. “In April 2018, RB (Railway Board) issued comprehensive instructions prescribing Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA), Recommended Amenities (RA) and Desirable Amenities (DA) for stations categorised as NSG 1 to NSG 6. RB stipulated that MEAs were to be ensured at all stations by 31 August 2018,” the report said.
“Bacteriological analysis of drinking water was not carried out at 59 stations over six zones,” the CAG said in its report — Passenger amenities and sanitation at non-suburban railway stations in Indian Railways — tabled in Parliament on August 12. Outlining the purpose of the detailed inspection, the CAG said that the Railway Board had issued various guidelines for the provision of passenger amenities at stations and that an audit was conducted to assess whether Indian Railways’ efforts to ensure the provision of passenger amenities and sanitation at stations yielded the intended benefits. “Audit scrutiny of NSG-1 category stations revealed deficiencies in core passenger amenities, including drinking water taps (12 stations), fans and water coolers (eight stations each) and signage (five stations),” the report said.
