An audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India exposes major gaps in passenger amenities across Indian Railways. Out of 512 stations checked,a shocking 458,almost 89%, lacked basic facilities like fans, water coolers, and seating. Essential stuff missing.
Audit,done with railway officials, focused on non-suburban stations handling long-distance traffic. Findings show only 54 stations, or 11%,met all standards. A bad sign for maintenance and service provision.
325 stations were non-Amrit Bharat stations. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, launched in 2022,aims to modernize 1,300 stations. But even top terminals like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Howrah, Sealdah, New Delhi, and Mumbai Central had big gaps in amenities.
Missing seats,inadequate bathrooms,no electronic train boards. Same issues flagged in audits from 2007,2013,and 2016. Problems persist.
Report blames lack of effective monitoring and poor implementation of Railway Board Circular from April 9, 2018. No time-bound action plans to fix issues,leading to weak fund oversight and poor project prioritization .
For example,despite a 2012 directive for platform shelters to cover general second-class coach areas,379 stations didn't comply . Passengers left exposed to bad weather .
Audit found 60 stations missing clocks and many without proper dustbins. Of 395 passenger projects across 325 non-Amrit Bharat stations, 59% delayed, some by over four years . Passengers waiting for basic facilities .
CAG worried lower-priority projects might distract from mandatory standards. Report highlights failures in monitoring,enforcement,and accountability,undermining goals for passenger amenities and sanitation.
Financially, report notes budget for passenger amenities underused, between 36% to 44% from 2019-20 to 2023-24 . Even in non-COVID years, planning and execution,not money,are the issues. Annual allocations stable,but rose to ₹14,072 crore in 2023-24.
Passenger earnings rose from ₹42,190 crore in 2014-15 to ₹70,693 crore in 2023-24, but non-suburban passenger numbers fell from 3,719 million to 2,924 million, largely due to pandemic .
Data from Passenger Amenities Management System (PAMS) shows issues across all stations and zones. Shortages include latrines at 214 stations,urinals at 91,water taps at 1,440, public address systems at 1,983.
Accessibility for Divyangjans (persons with disabilities) also lacking. Major gaps in infrastructure like information systems,toilets,ramps, tactile pathways,lifts, announcements. At Madurai Junction,tactile pathway wrongly laid,not meeting distance requirements from platform edge.
Of 374 Divyangjans interviewed,35% reported poor amenities. Issues like broken toilets, no low-height water facilities,inconvenient platform heights. Report notes failures in cleaning contract implementation, many zones not following Standard Bid Document (SBD).
Some CSR investments wasted. In Southern Railway, 187 pre-fabricated toilets installed,79 unused due to no service providers. In Eastern Railway,bio-toilet complex at Plassey station non-functional due to water and electricity issues.
CAG recommends Railways create station-wise, time-bound plans to address these issues,improve accessibility for Divyangjans, and ensure sanitation standards are met.
