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Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Railway Station ranks seventh in cleanliness according to a recently released report. Indian Railways had conducted the survey across 407 stations in the country.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu released the preliminary report Thursday. The survey was based exclusively on passenger feedback and was carried out by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
Surat Railway Station in Gujarat was adjudged the cleanest of the lot and Rajkot, Bilaspur Junction, Solapur, Mumbai Central, and Chandigarh follow in descending order of cleanliness.
IRCTC collected data through questionnaires based on cleanliness indicators, at each of the 407 stations across 16 railway zones. Every passenger was asked to rate the cleanliness of stations objectively on 40 different cleanliness parameters.
Of the 407 stations, 75 were ‘A1’ stations (based on traffic) and the rest were categorised as ‘A’.
“We are very happy with survey result. It is a very good sign and we are proud of this. With ranking of seventh in the country, we have lots of scope to be a number one cleanest station in the country,” station manager CR Nayak said.
He added that passengers need to “support and cooperate” with the efforts to improve cleanliness at the station.
The authorities have taken several steps to keep the station clean. “We have kept dustbins everywhere, and penalise those who litter the station. Every day we impose fines on five or six people who litter the station but some go unnoticed. A major problem is betel spit on stairs. Public awareness and cooperation is essential to stop this,” Nayak said.
The station is currently being beautified by decorative paintings on walls by students of BK College of Arts and Craft in association with Bakul Foundation and Lion’s Club. “Our plan is to make Bhubaneswar station the cleanest and most beautiful railway station. We have already completed five art camps and covered most walls on Platform 6. With two more camps we will cover the stairs and ceilings there,” Nayak said.
