BHUBANESWAR:
Littering floors with fruit peels,
groundnut shells and packets of biscuits and chips is a common practise in the
coaches of local passenger trains running between Palasa and Paradip via Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. At times, it has been found that trains starting from Palasa in Andhra Pradesh enter Odisha without proper cleaning. Two
DMU trains start from Palasa every morning and cross Berhampur at 5.45 am and 7 am.
Also, some coaches do not have toilets or water connection. And coaches that have, both toilets and washbasins are very unclean. Foul smell coming from the urinals and latrines forces a passenger not to use it. "I fear using these toilets may lead to health problems like urinary tract infection. Sometimes people get down from the train and urinate on the tracks," said Dilip Sahu, a passenger from Ganjam.
Though the railway has laid down rules against littering in trains, people are unaware of it due to lack of enforcement. A frequent check is required to stop the problem, said Snigha Patra, a daily commuter. Local trains also run late most of the time.
Brijmohan Agarwal, divisional railway manager (DRM), Khurda Road, said the Palasa-Bhubaneswar DMU train was not cleaned on a partcular day. The agency had left the train without cleaning, he added. "We have taken the issue seriously. Fine will be imposed on the passengers littering the trains," he added.
The
East Coast Railway (ECoR) runs six local DMUs in six different sections. These are Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram, Vizianagaram-Palasa, Palasa-Berhampur, Berhampur-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and Cuttack-Paradip.
