Cleansing Indian Railways!

Few days back I went backpacking down the malabar coast. I traveled mostly by Indian Southern Railways. While I compliment the Indian railways for the cheapest possible travel mode which is such extensive and for providing the retiring rooms for accommodations where nothing else is feasible, I have a few cribs about the junk that engulfs our railways!! Actually for that matter along the areas where railways cover.

Visit any railway station (urban areas mostly), and you will find filth, dirt, literally junkyards! And so you will find along the rail lines as well.

> So what are the problems?
People throw garbage.
> Why do people throw garbage?
People are uneducated! don’t give a damn! or simply inconsiderate! And there are no collection points!
> Well for human values, its very difficult to gauge, its possible to achieve through education, perseverance and deterrents, and time. For dustbins?????

The remotest of railway stations are least effected really. People there are ignorant, uneducated, poor.. True! But they are also afraid of breaking the law. You will hardly find the poorer segments to enter a reserved compartment if they do not have valid tickets. So a simple deterrence policy of putting a law of "No littering" will be effective there. Urban places are much more difficult and problematic!!

So what can be done?
By bringing in the rule of "absolutely, no littering allowed": Take for instance the banning of cig smoking. People are scared to do that, on train and on stations. (Although the toilets smell of cig all the time. but thats in hiding at least, and am sure it isn’t a nice feeling)

then by providing dustbins in compartments and many more on stations, I think this can be helped to a great deal. In AC coups, people can't possibly throw over the windows, so they will actually have to open the door and chuck the garbage. In other compartments like 2nd Classes which actually form the most number of compartments and that many numbers of people, why not provide dustbins?

> Dustbins? where? Where is the place?
Not in every coup but per compartment a dustbin, big enough. We do not have the money and the organization ways to empty the dustbins in every station but in most of the junctions the toilets are supposed to be cleaned (and sometimes are!!) based on time gap. The dustbin cleanup job can be done there.

> Where is the place? Can you imagine the number of trains that actually traverse the country, and the expenditure that will be accounted for dustbins and for new compartments?

We can not afford newly built compartments; True! But think of this: in every compartment, there are 4 toilets. 2 western and 2 Indian styles each; (Well, usually!) Why not remove one of the toilets (they are metal sheets fixed anyways) and make the arrangements for a big dustbin? In addition you also get a bigger place including a spacious basin! This can be done for much much lesser cost. You will have 3 toilets and a refreshment area.

Also would they break the law in front of other conscious, and law abiding co-passengers? Less for sure! The conscious yet oblivious, inconsiderable lawbreaker can be dealt ..maybe slowly but surely.

> Sure! We already have so few toilets!!! Only 3?
72 persons are to sit in an compartment (sure!!!!). 3 toilets is somewhat manageable! When the nature calls in the morning, it’s a horrific fight, agreed! But arithmetically, just another person in front of you!! 5 min extra?

So what do you think? Feasible? or instead Trash the country?