Railways asked to identify sites for mobile toilets near slums

The National Green Tribunal has directed Railways and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to identify precise locations for installation of mobile toilets near slum clusters adjoining railway tracks in the capital.
Expressing concern over the delay on the part of the authorities, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar sought their response as to why the ongoing work was stopped at some sites.
"The DUSIB and railway officer present before the tribunal shall visit the site and report where mobile toilets can be placed," the bench said while going through the compliance status by Railways.
On March 18, the green panel had directed the authorities to place mobile toilets near colonies, jhuggies which are adjacent to railways tracks.

It had directed that such toilets shall be cleaned regularly, waste collected and transported to the nearest sewage treatment plant.
"Mobile toilets will be provided either by corporation or by the board and expenditure at the first instance to be incurred by the board out of Rs 11.25 crore that has been paid to them, however, subsequently, the corporation would also be required to share the same," the bench had said.

The tribunal has also asked the DUSIB and the city's civic agencies to rehabilitate slum clusters located near railway tracks in the capital within six months.
It had also noted that Railways had given a sum of Rs 11.25 crore in 2003-2004 to DUSIB under which 4,410 jhuggies located near the railway track in Sanjay Camp and Wazirpur area were required to be demolished and persons so affected were to be re-settled with this money.

However, only Rs 52 lakh was spent in resettling 257 jhuggies under this scheme and significant money is still lying with the board unutilised, the bench had noted.
Cracking the whip on those littering on railway platforms and tracks, the tribunal had announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals spotted littering or throwing waste on the platforms and tracks.