HC directs Chennai division to provide functional restrooms

The Madras High Court today directed the Chennai Railway Division to provide clean and functional rest rooms and quality drinking water facilities at all the railway stations in its division and granted two months time to take necessary steps in this regard.
Disposing of a PIL filed by 'Satta Panchayat Iyakkam' (SPI), the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, posted the matter for compliance and for filing status report to April 15.
The PIL prayed for a direction to the Railways to take appropriate steps to provide functional and clean toilets and quality drinking water facilities in all railway stations located in Chennai Suburban Railway System.

Railway counsel P T Ramkumar stated that a tender has been floated on January 21 in respect of 84 stations in Chennai division to provide toilet facilities on pay and use basis.
The tender will be opened onFebruary 12, he said.
The court said, "It is the responsibility of the Railways to make necessary arrangements for toilets and drinking water, apart from the fact that these are essential facilities, as declared under the Indian Railways Works Manual."

"It is completely an unpalatable situation that even in suburban railway stations of Chennai, such a situation prevailed."
"In fact, the counsel for Railways stated that endeavours had been made on earlier occasions by floating of tenders, but, they had not been successful. If that be the position, it is not certain that even the present tender would evoke some response."

The bench directed the Chennai Railway Division to provide clean and functional rest rooms and quality drinking water facilities in all the railway stations in its division, irrespective of the outcome of the tender floated for this purpose.