Ludhiana | Two sides of the train station: Decent inside, dirty outside | So Good News

With the subsequent launch of two special cleanliness stations at the railways under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the sanitation condition inside the Ludhiana railway station has seen a significant improvement, but at the same time the entry and exit gates continue to remain in a filthy condition. state.

While the area within the railway station falls under the jurisdiction of the railway authorities, the responsibility for maintaining the areas outside the boundaries lies with the municipal authorities.

Visitors to the station are regularly met with littered waste, unhygienic food stalls and encroachment from car and e-rickshaws. Public urination along the outer walls of the railway station also annoys visitors and passers-by.

Railway authorities said that since the pandemic, railways have seen a major shift in their efforts to maintain station cleanliness. They said since the areas outside the station fall under the jurisdiction of the municipal authorities, it is their responsibility to maintain cleanliness.

“A stain on the city’s reputation”

Several residents said the messy condition of the station’s entrance gates is affecting the reputation of the city. Jamalpur resident Parveen Chopra said, “The chaos, the lack of cleanliness and foul smell at the gates of the railway station all add up to a bad experience.”

He said, “Due to the presence of retailers and eateries, waste is piled up at the gates in the evening, which is an embarrassment to the residents.”

Balpreet Arora, a resident of Dugri, said, “Since most of the road outside the railway station is still clogged with vending machines and autorickshaws in the evening, it takes over 20 minutes to get out.”

Ashwani Sahota, MC health department official, said, “Our workers clean the outskirts of the railway station twice a day.”

MC superintendent Vivek Verma said, “Work to remove the encroachments of the vendors is already underway and strict action will be taken in the coming days.”

Talking about the encroachment of autorickshaws outside the station, Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP, Traffic) Gurdial Singh said, “Teams of traffic police are regularly deployed at the gates of the railway station and a separate lane for autorickshaws has been created to improve the flow of traffic.”

Health manager Harish Kumar said, “A team of over 45 cleaners are responsible for maintaining cleanliness at the railway station. During the two shifts, the entire platform is scrubbed with a walk-on scrubber and mopping and sweeping is done several times in a day.”

He said five samples of drinking water were collected from the railway station which gave satisfactory results. He said to prevent the spread of diseases, including dengue and malaria, insecticides are regularly sprayed on the platform and rooms.

Officials said a larger waiting hall would reduce the rush at the platforms and improve conditions.

The railway department had launched two special cleanliness drives – first from September 15 to October 2 and second from October 2 to 31 – had been initiated by the department to maintain cleanliness during the festive season.