We are contemplating roping in religious leaders to help maintain cleanliness in trains, Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu said. Speaking during the concluding session of a knowledge exchange summit on e-governance, Prabhu also said that more than what the Railways and its passengers can do, it was encroachments on Railway lands that were an issue.
“We are thinking in roping in religious leaders for helping us maintain cleanliness in trains. People listen to religious leaders… and this I mean religious leaders of all religions including all sects,” Prabhu said. It will go a long way in helping cleanliness on Railways. Prabhu was responding to a question on how the Government can use surveillance technology to help improve the cleanliness of the railways.
“Cleanliness involves three things — cleanliness of stations, cleanliness of tracks and cleanliness inside the coaches. Of these the stations and coaches are the responsibility of not just the Railways but also the passenger,” Prabhu said adding that train toilets are already being changed to stop the system of open defecation that is currently prevalent.
“But more than that in places like Delhi and Mumbai. I am worried not just of the loss of railways and the conditions in which they live but also of their safety,” he said. He said that the Railways was planning a “Swachchh Rail, Swachchh Bharat Drive wherein a senior official will visit each of the railways stations and begin cleaning it much alike the Swachch Bharat campaign with special photo ops “to create awareness.” “We plan to do it from January 26,” he said.