Clean Railways must for safety: Jairam
Cleanliness may be next to Godliness, but is also important for Railways’ safety, said Jairam Ramesh, Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh. He was inspecting the bio-digester based eco-friendly toilets, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), at the New Delhi Railway Station on Wednesday. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in July between DRDO and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for bio-toilets to be fitted in existing and new rail coaches. Ramesh offered to share half the cost of retrofitting all existing 50,000 coaches with bio-toilets over the next 10 years, which will amount to about Rs 250 crore each year. Further, all new coaches, about 5,000 each year, will be fitted with the bio-toilets in next two to three years. Ramesh said the measure will not only prevent corrosion of tracks but also provide passengers with odourless toilets. — Our Bureau
