Title - Railways Rs 500cr plan for green toilets on passenger trains

PATNA: Railways has taken up a Rs 500-crore plan to equip its passenger coaches with environment-friendly toilet system. The project cost is being shared by the rural development ministry to improve hygiene in toilets on trains.The railways had earlier signed an MoU with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop such a toilet system.According to a Railway Board official, railways has given directives to its coach manufacturing factories at Kapurthala in Punjab and Perambur in Tamil Nadu to manufacture new coaches fitted with green toilet system. Railways has taken a decision to convert old toilets into green toilet system in about 50,000 coaches across the country, he said. A board official said the railway coach manufacturing factories have so far built such green toilets in about 436 new coaches to cater to the needs of passengers. Railway coach factories have been manufacturing about 4,000 new coaches per year.Railways intends to introduce such toilets in all long-distance passenger trains on a priority basis, he said.Sources said the DRDO has designed the new green toilet system in consultation with railways and rural development ministry with the main objective of developing this system to maintain zero discharge toilet system (ZDTS) on running trains. The new toilets are aimed at providing homely comforts to passengers during long journey, sources said.

A board official admitted that a green toilet-fitted train was put on trial recently on a particular route under Northern Railway which evoked good response among passengers.

Meanwhile, railways has also decided to introduce a new system on select long-distance trains. Under the new experiment, railways is likely to provide phenyl-like substance to passengers to ensure hygiene in toilets on running trains.

This experiment will start with all Duronto trains, sources said, adding railways will introduce this system depending on passengers' response. Confirming it, a board official said that the new system is being tested in South Eastern Railway first.