RailEnquiry

Guwahati (Jan 18): Train passengers and people in general, visiting the Guwahati Railway Station often find it difficult to breath through the awful stink of human excreta that pervades the air. The unpleasant sight of garbage and filth strewn all over the station as well as the railway tracks has become a constant eyesore for the public. But the departments responsible for maintaining cleanliness at the railway station are busy blaming each other for the sorry condition.
When contacted, the authorities tried to shrug off their responsibilities towards cleaning the blocked drains, dirt smeared platforms and soiled tracks. In fact blaming each other has seemingly become the easiest way to tackle the problem.
Senior district medical officer of the Guwahati railway station, John Mathew, when contacted, blatantly refused to take the onus, saying, “I don’t know much about the condition, and the railway authority at the platform and the senior manager are responsible”.
But the truth is that the health department of the Guwahati railway station is in fact responsible for checking hygiene and maintaining cleanliness at the station.
However, justifying the reply of John Mathew, G.Raja Rao, chief health inspector, at the Guwahati railway station said, “With minimum resources and regular parking of the trains at the tracks, we don’t get the chance to clear the railway tracks and the clogged drains with the garbage, which is bound to cause distress to the passengers”.
Raja also alleged that the drainage system of the station is old and is not managed by the departments concerned. He added that only platform 1 has a toilet facility while other six platforms don’t have any toilet.
His comments were however vehemently refuted by the senior station manager, Amar Mohan Thakur, who said, “The parking of the trains is only an excuse and the trains are effectively managed leaving space for cleaning of the tracks and drains”.
He commented that the health department is regularly taken to task for the unhygienic condition prevailing at the station.
In this game of passing the buck, the passengers are the ones who are becoming scapegoats in an epic case of mismanagement and irresponsibility. “It’s a horrific experience at the station, with garbage everywhere and the stinking smells,” complained Susmita Bhattacharjee, from Delhi who has come for vacation to Guwahati.
However, sources at the health department blamed higher authorities at the railway department for not giving contract to expert contractors who can manage the cleaning effectively.
At present there are no contractors employed for the task of cleaning and the health department is substituting for the cleaning work.
However, Amar Mohan Thakur has assured that soon the tender will be released and the contract will be granted. He also said that a plan for mechanised cleaning is in the process, which will effectively solve the problem.
On the other hand, the contractor who was earlier engaged for cleaning of the station said that all such tall claims made by the railway department will soon come to nothing.
“There is widespread mismanagement. When we complained to the departments regarding the broken drains and irregular supply of water, they never cooperated with us, making the railway station one of the dirtiest places in Guwahati,” alleged Praveen Kalita, supervisor of the Rahul Trade Agency, earlier employed for the cleaning of the railway station.