Of the 512 railway stations in the country audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), 89 percent are deprived of one or more basic facilities.
According to the report, many big stations earning crores of rupees are also lagging behind in basic things like drinking water, toilets, seating arrangements, platform shelters and facilities for disabled people.
The report has raised serious concerns about the quality of drinking water. Regular testing of water was not done at many stations.
At some places the level of chlorine in water was found to be more or less than the prescribed standards.
E-coli and total coliform bacteria were also found in the water samples of many stations, which can worsen people's health.
Some infections of E-coli can cause diseases like diarrhea, food poisoning. In some cases, kidney damage may also occur.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has audited 512 non-suburban railway stations in 16 railway zones across the country.
The investigation found that out of these, 458 stations i.e. more than 89 percent were found deficient in one or more minimum essential passenger amenities (MEA).
According to the report, there were only 54 stations where no deficiency in these facilities was found.
The Railway Board had directed in April 2018 that minimum essential facilities should be ensured at all stations. But even after seven years this target could not be achieved.
The most shocking aspect of the report is that major railway stations of the country like New Delhi, Howrah, Mumbai Central, CSMT, Ahmedabad, Chennai Central and Secunderabad are also suffering from lack of essential facilities.
Investigation found that there are less taps for drinking water at many big stations. There is a lack of sanitation facilities (urinals and toilets). There are not enough fans and coolers and there is a lack of sign boards at many places.
Lack of basic facilities was also observed in the top 10 stations that earn crores of rupees for the Railways. This is the situation when lakhs of passengers come and go at these stations every day.
The report has also raised serious concerns about the quality of drinking water. Regular testing of water was not done at many stations.
CAG said that Railways will have to further strengthen its arrangements to provide safe drinking water to the passengers.
According to the report, E. coli was found in water samples taken from water coolers at Coimbatore and Palakkad Junction of Southern Railway, Hyderabad station of South Central Railway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus of Central Railway, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala and Madhupur station of Eastern Railway.
E.coli is the same bacteria which was categorized as 'superbug' by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017. It is found in food and drinks.
Superbug means such deadly bacteria on which even anti-biotic drugs do not have much effect. The name of gram negative bacteria E.coli was at the top of this list.
During the audit, shortage of drinking water taps was found at 138 stations out of 512 stations.
Urinals at 111 stations and toilets at 59 stations were found to be below the prescribed standards.
There was not even a waiting room at 21 stations.
The report said that adequate drinking water is not available to passengers at many places, whereas the Railways had earlier claimed that water arrangements have been ensured at all stations.
Lack of platform shelter has also emerged as a serious issue in the CAG report.
Platform shelters at 65 stations were not found to be as per the prescribed standards.
At the same time, at 379 stations where general coaches stop, there were not enough sheds to protect the passengers from sun and rain.
According to the report, there was no covered path between the foot over bridge and the platform shelter at 247 stations, due to which the passengers had to bear the brunt of the weather.
The situation is worse for disabled passengers.
Railways continuously talks about increasing facilities for the disabled, but the CAG report says something else.
Out of 512 stations, ramps were found lacking at 227 stations. There were no proper water taps for disabled passengers at 297 stations. Disabled friendly toilets were not available at 134 stations.
Not only this, there was no separate seating arrangement for disabled passengers at 490 stations.
Facilities like Braille signage, help centers and tactile paths were also found lacking at many big stations.
The report has also raised serious questions regarding the safety of railway passengers.
Investigation revealed that at 441 out of 512 stations, neither emergency medical rooms were present nor medical boxes were available as per the recommendations of AIIMS.
Experts believe that in case of any serious medical emergency, it can become a threat to the lives of passengers.
Railways spends crores of rupees every year on cleanliness, but the report found the condition of the stations to be unsatisfactory.
Platforms were found dirty at 77 stations, water booths were found in dirty condition at 128 stations and the condition of toilets at 165 stations was very bad.
Presence of stray dogs was recorded at 301 stations. Paan and gutkha stains were found at 243 stations, while problems like open defecation were also found at 21 stations.
The report also revealed that there was no shortage of funds with the Railways, but there were serious shortcomings in implementing the schemes.
36 to 44 percent of the budget allocated for passenger facilities during 2019-20 to 2023-24 could not be spent.
In the review of 395 passenger amenities projects, it was found that 59 percent of the works were completed behind schedule. Some projects remained pending for three to four years.
