Indian Railways Fails Basic Amenities Test, CAG Flags Contamination, Presence Of E. Coli

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report stated that drinking water at several major railway stations is contaminated with E coli, a pathogen typically present in human waste, PTI reported. Strains of this bacteria can cause severe health complications such as kidney failure, diarrhoea and food poisoning.

The audit also exposed widespread infrastructure deficits across the network, studying passenger services at 512 non-suburban grade stations across all zones. Around 90 per cent of surveyed non-suburban grade (NSG) stations failed to meet basic passenger standards. Out of 512 selected stations, 458 lacked the necessary Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA).

Bacteria in Drinking Water

Auditors found contaminated samples from water coolers at multiple locations. Affected stations include Coimbatore and Palakkad in Southern Railway, Hyderabad in South Central Railway, Madhupur in Eastern Railway and four Central Railway hubs—Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala.

"Test results of drinking water samples collected from taps in platforms at 49 stations in eight zones during 2022-23 and 56 stations in nine zones during 2023-24 indicated presence of Total coliforms bacteria (including E-coli)," the report stated.

Consequently, the national auditor directed authorities to implement strict water safety measures. Among its major recommendations, the CAG asked to “ensure compliance with prescribed protocols for inspection of water supply systems and comprehensive testing of drinking water quality, including all parameters under the Uniform Drinking Water Quality Protocol”.

Failure of Basic Amenities

Indian Railways grades its primary stations from NSG-1 to NSG-6 based on commercial importance and footfall. NSG-1 terminals are mega-hubs that manage more than 2 crore passengers and produce annual passenger revenues exceeding Rs 500 crore. This grading system directly dictates the scale and budget of facilities, such as waiting halls, lifts, escalators and catering services, provided at each station.

"In April 2018, the Railway Board issued comprehensive instructions prescribing Minimum Essential Amenities (MEA), Recommended Amenities (RA) and Desirable Amenities (DA) for stations categorised as NSG 1 to NSG 6. RB stipulated that MEAs were to be ensured at all stations by 31 August 2018," the report stated.

"RB's instructions (April 2018) mandated that MEAs be provided first at all stations, irrespective of category. These include drinking water, waiting halls, seating arrangements, platform shelters, urinals, latrines, high-level platforms, fans, Foot Over Bridges (FOBs), dustbins, clocks and public address systems," the CAG stated.

However, the highest revenue-generating NSG-1 stations fell short of these directives. Mega-hubs including New Delhi, Mumbai Central, CSMT, Howrah and Sealdah lacked sufficient seating arrangements, sanitary facilities, dustbins and electronic indicator boards, among others.

(With PTI Inputs)