Is Southern Railways Uninterested In Swachh Bharat Mission? Data Seems To Say So

Southern Railways seems to be least interested in Swachh Bharat mission. Among the 16 railway divisions it has fared poorly in collecting fines from those who have littered on its promises.

The Times of India reported that Southern Railway penalized 4,704 people, collecting Rs 9.76 lakh, for littering its premises in the 2014-15 fiscal. During the same time, Northern Railway punished 44,185 violators earning Rs 47.15 lakh, Eastern Railway earned Rs 37.29 lakh penalising 35,327 persons and Western Railway caught 26,509 littering on its premises and collected Rs 23.4 lakh.

In the current fiscal, Southern Railway caught hold of only 771 persons littering on its premises and collected a meagre Rs 2 lakh. Northern Railway earned Rs 78 lakh catching hold of 63,911 violators, Eastern Railway fined 43,839 persons and Western Railway penalized nearly 53,000 persons.

The data reflects more of Southern Railways slackness in pulling up people for littering its premises and implementing the Centre’s Swachh Bharat campaign. Southern Railways has fewer stations compared to Northern or Western Railway but more than Eastern Railway which collected more.

According to rules framed by the Indian Railways in 2012, a person can be fined between Rs 100 and Rs 500 for littering its premises. Southern Railway stations are yet to be made spic and span. Sometimes, the smell of dry fish can greet you on arrival at Chennai Central, while its platforms can be found littered with parcels in a haphazard manner. Southern Railway administrators are engaged in a running battle with some their unruly employees.