Railway officials turn station cleanliness drive into vacation

Railway stations and tracks in India are littered with the remains of the day and the night. Following a directive from prime minister Narendra Modi, a cleanliness drive will be carried out in 7,700 stations spread across the length and breadth of the railway network on October 2. But for many a railway official, the PM's directive is an opportunity to make the most of the day.

Some will be journeying to clean up stations in or near their hometowns, an all-paid holiday with the extended family. Others, who want to mix business with pleasure, will be making a beeline to hill-stations. Yet others, who want to be closer to the gods, will be taking it as a pilgrimage.

Documents attached to a letter dated September 9, 2014 from Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar show that at least 119 senior level officials have been "nominated" to adopt a station each and "keep the sphere of work neat and clean with special focus on stations and colonies." Each zonal railway has been asked to prepare a CAP (cleanliness action plan) for each division.

Railway minister Sadananda Gowda will be outlining the campaign to the media on October 25. But what he will not be saying is that two members of the railway board have picked stations mere kilometres from Rail Bhavan: Member (Mechanical) Alok Johri will oversee scrubbing of Safdarjung railway station, and member (Traffic) DP Pande will lead the drive to clean up Sarai Rohilla/Anand Vihar Terminal.

"Many have chosen stations in Delhi and nearby areas in the NCR so that they do not have to travel outside the capital," a source told dna. "Several of those who have opted to go out have picked up either hill-stations or pilgrimage spots. Yet others are flying or taking trains to their hometowns."

It will be an all-expenses paid "holiday" for railway officials travelling to stations (destinations) outside Delhi. "It will be a free trip with TA/DA and privileges such as free stay in rest-houses for the duration of the official visit," the source said.

Officials heading for destinations far or relatively closer to the capital have all chosen to take a flight. Additional members (AM) and executive directors (ED) can take special carriages, which is a single spacious bogey, a luxury home on wheels! Hiring a special carriage costs a fortune. But for railway officials, they are for the asking, and the taking, said the source.

Quite a few railway officials have picked up the chore to clean up stations in hill-stations. Secretary of the railway board PC Gajbhiye will be in Udaipur on October 2. Other holiday junctions include Barog in HP, Chakki Bank in Pathankot (Punjab), Palampur and Kalka (also in HP) and Udhampur and Haldwani in Uttarakhand.

The god-fearing among railway officials have chosen Kamakhya in Assam, Prashanti Nilayam of Satya Sai Baba, Tirupati, Ajmer Sharif and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. The "hometowns" are Kannur, Thrissur, Phaphund, Doiwala (near Dehradun), Falna, Namkom (near Ranchi) and JJKR or Jaipur-Keonjar Road, said the source, adding that "otherwise who would choose such places for inspection."

TA and DA for the outing would add up to a minimum of Rs 1000/ per day. Circulars issued over the past two months say these officials have to go to inspect a station 15 days in advance, and then on October 2. "If travel (to and fro) of average of five days is taken, the two trips would cost the exchequer Rs 10,000 in TA and DA for each official.

There are 245 officers who have been nominated. Can you imagine the wastage? And there are more than 7700 stations!" the source said.

Clean and green stations

The cleanliness drive will last throughout the day on Gandhi Jayanti, and will be carried out in eight-hour shifts

After the campaign zonal railways will send a report and upload photographs and videos showing its impact (before and after) to the data hub of the Railway Board.