Stations in Rajasthan outshine others in railway cleanliness study

Jodhpur, Jaipur, Marwar and Phulera railway stations in Rajasthan are the cleanest in India, says a survey. 

In the study by the Quality Council of India (QCI) across 407 “A1” and “A” category stations, the overall quality of stations improved by 17.6 per cent in 2018 in comparison with 2017. Over 61 per cent of the users said their experiences at railway stations were above average compared to the 44 per cent last year. 

The survey used direct observation and citizens' feedback for evaluation. About 75 stations in India, contributing more than Rs 500 million in annual passenger revenue, are categorised “A1” stations. Three hundred thirty-two stations, contributing between Rs 60 million and Rs 500 million of annual passenger revenue, are “A” category stations. 

In the “A1” category, tourism hubs Jodhpur and Jaipur, both in Rajasthan, bagged the top two spots, followed by Tirupati, a city that sees a large number of pilgrims. Jodhpur climbed several places --- from the 17th rank in 2017 to the top position this year. 

In “A” category, Rajasthan’s Marwar and Phulera were at the top two places, while Warangal in Telangana grabbed the third spot. Marwar became the best performing station by climbing from its 168th position in 2017. Phulera was ranked at 219th last year. 

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said North Western Railways climbed from the eighth rank to bag the first place this year. South Central Railways rose from fourth to bag the second rank. 

Such rankings were an encouragement for those who have done good work and a warning for those who have to improve, Goyal said on Monday. 

Apart from Jodhpur and Jaipur, the other stations that fared well in the “A1” category include Vijayawada, Anand Vihar, Secunderabad, Bandra, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Vishakhapatnam. 

In "A" category, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Nizamabad, Barmer, Mancherial, Mysore and Bhilwara, too, performed well. 

Goyal added around 39 stations got over 90 per cent in all parameters compared to last year's nought. 

"We want to take up station-cleaning as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, as we are going to celebrate the 150th year of his birth on October 2.  I want a detailed review of cleanliness on all the major stations by then," Goyal said. 

He said the government’s Swachh Bharat campaign helped improve the cleanliness of railways.

The study said officials were more driven to improve the cleanliness of stations compared to last year. It indicated that over 75 stations moved upward in rankings. The survey also indicated that in all the parameters, including personal hygiene, reduction of plastic waste and awareness initiative, railways showed a major improvement.