|
Central Government/Public Sector | West Bengal - India | PID: 189155
|
|
Daily commuters will soon find a change at Bidhannagar Road (Ultadanga), Dum Dum, Barasat, Baruipur, Sonarpur, Konnagar and Serampore railway stations among others, where toilets are
set to come up in circulating areas. This will not only keep the station premises clean but also be a boon for women, the aged and the ailing. On Tuesday, Eastern Railway (ER) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL and RITES to develop the
facilities at 100 stations across the state, which come under the ER’sambit.The project cost, nearly Rs 26 crore, will be spent by ECL as part of its corporate social responsibility. RITES will implement the project after the ER identifies the locations in the circulating areas of the stations.
“We have received several requests from the commuters to develop proper toilet facilities at these busy stations. Sometimes people are forced to spend longer time at stations because of train disruptions or delays.
With no toilets in the circulating areas, men have to relieve openly on the tracks or other places near the stations. But women have nowhere to go. It is the same with the elderly commuters. Hopefully, things will change once the toilet facilities come up at the stations,” a senior ER official said.
The scheme will cover 40 stations in Howrah, 31 in Sealdah, 18 in Asansol and 11 in Malda divisions. S S Gehlot, additional general manager of ER, said the toilets will make a big change when it comes to ensuring cleanliness and hygiene at stations. “As the toilets facilities will come up in the circulating areas, everybody, including people who are not passengers, can use them. The toilets will also have sanitary napkin and condom vending machines,” he said.
Apart from Gehlot, those present during the signing of the MoU were Anuj Mittal, chief planning and design engineer, ER, R K Srivastava, general manager (W&CSR), ECL and P R Kumar, general manager (RPO North), RITES. An ER official said special care would be taken to keep the toilets clean and prevent people from relieving in the open.
| Updated on: 05 - Jun - 2019
|
|
|
|