Suburban rail gets two-month deadline to install clean toilets

The Madras High Court has granted two months to Southern Railways to make sure that every station in Chennai Suburban Railway System is fitted with clean toilets and drinking water facilities. 

First bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundaresh held that “It is the responsibility of the railways to make necessary arrangements for toilets and drinking water, apart from the fact that these are essential facilities declared under the Indian Railways Works Manual. It is completely unpalatable situation that even in suburban railways of Chennai, such a situation would prevail.” 

The bench also on hearing from Railway Counsel PT Ramkumar that a tender has been floated on January 21, 2016 for 84 stations in Chennai division to provide toilet facilities on pay and use basis, held that endeavours made earlier through floating of tenders have not been successful. If that is the position, it is not necessary that even the present tender would evoke the same response. 

However, it is important for the railways to make temporary arrangements in-house for these facilities. The petitioner Satta Panchayat Income, general secretary, Senthil Arumugam had contended that in a survey held by them out of 47 stations in Chennai suburban network only 3 three stations had functioning toilets.