Indian Railways has asked its top officials to travel in sleeper and 3AC train coaches instead of luxury saloons and first AC. This decision has come four days after a stampede at Mumbai’s Elphinstone railway station, which killed 22 people and injured at least 37. The major aim of this decision is to gain firsthand experience of railways’ facilities provided to commoners in these coaches and the problems they face during their journey.
The railway ministry has decided that senior officers, including members of the Railway Board, general managers of railway zones and divisional railway managers (DRMs) in each of the 50 divisions, will undertake long journeys in these classes.
Anil Saxena, Director General (PR), Indian Railways said, “It has been decided that the board members, general managers, and DRMs will undertake journeys in sleeper and third AC classes to take stock of the condition of coaches. At the same time, services like cleanliness and catering will also be assessed.”
The move comes at a time when the railway ministry is facing severe criticism on all fronts, especially passenger safety, hygiene and cleanliness on trains as well as stations. Matters became worse for Indian Railways after a CAG report recently exposed it for poor quality of food being served in trains. There have been many complaints of poor sanitation facilities in trains, particularly stinking toilets, and dirty linen. In the light of everything, the main job of these railway officials, while travelling in trains, will be to interact with general class passengers and assess their satisfaction with provided services.
