New railway hygiene wing: Hint of cleaner Chennai Central, Egmore stations, coaches
The wing will monitor and coordinate functions of all environment related issues
By : k. karthikeyan
Update: 2015-09-24 06:11 GMT
Chennai: Rail travelers can expect clean linen, train toilets that do not stink and fewer rodents on the platforms of Chennai Central and Egmore stations soon. The Railway board (RB) has proposed to set up a new Environment and Housekeeping wing (EnHM) to increase the hygiene quotient of trains and select stations. The wing will monitor and coordinate functions of all environment related issues.
The same wing will also execute, monitor and coordinate all housekeeping functions of train coaches, major railway stations and also coach maintenance depots at all ‘A1’ and ‘A’ category stations like Chennai Central and Egmore.
According to a railway board (RB) circular dated August 31 issued by Desh Ratan Gupta, executive director (EnHM), Railway Board, the ministry has picked on a pilot basis three divisions - Chennai in Southern Railway (SR), Firozpur (Northern Railway) and Secundarabad (South Central Railway).
RB has advised the GMs of the zones to extend the project to other divisions in their purview after stabilising the new procedure for integrated management of housekeeping. RB has offered to consider extension of the project to 13 other zones based other experience gained from the three divisions. If the policy circular issued by RB three days prior to the August 31 circular were something to go by,
In a policy circular, EnHM wing has been given a seven-point agenda to optimise housekeeping management, which also includes monitoring, executing and coordinating mechanised cleaning of passenger interface areas of all A1 and A category stations, excluding retiring rooms and officers' rest houses. Onboard housekeeping service (OBHS) in trains will be another area the wing will concentrate on.