Passengers travelling in AC coaches of Indian trains will now get soft and clean, superior-quality blankets, according to revised specifications issued by the Railway Board.
The instructions, issued earlier this month, stated that the blankets provided to passengers in AC coaches should be clean and free of grease, soap, etc. which make the blankets smelly.
Unlike the woollen blankets now provided, the revised specifications said that the fibre content of the blankets should be 60% wool, 15% nylon and the weight should be 450 gram. The Railway Board has specified that “soft blanket of superior quality with four side satin piping not less than 4 cm stitches per cm” would be provided for AC coaches.
At present, blankets are dry-cleaned once every two months, with various zonal railways washing them once every fortnight, sometimes, once a month and even once in two-three months.
Last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had pulled up the railways for providing dirty sheets, pillowcases and blankets to passengers. The country’s supreme audit authority, noted that the national transporter was not adhering to the time schedule fixed for washing and sanitation of linen and blankets. The new changes proposed would fix the above-mentioned issues and passengers are guaranteed to get clean, stainless, comfortable blankets./
