Parliamentary panel seeks railways’ response on CAG report flagging deficient passenger amenities

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has requested the Indian Railways' response to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report detailing significant shortcomings in passenger amenities and sanitation at railway stations. The August 13 report, conducted from 2019-20 to 2023-24, identified issues such as E. coli bacteria in drinking water, lack of basic facilities at 89% of stations, and delays in project completion and budget underutilisation.

The PAC has sent written questions to Central and Western Railways, requesting replies by September 23 for an informal discussion. The committee will conduct a study tour from September 21 to 24, visiting Jaipur, Mumbai, and Goa for discussions. The CAG highlighted deficiencies at premier NSG-1 category stations, including CSMT, Howrah, Sealdah, New Delhi, and Mumbai Central, despite these stations generating over Rs.

710 crore in annual revenue and accommodating 1.03 crore to 11.47 crore passengers. The auditor selected 512 non-suburban stations for the study, finding that 217 passenger amenity works were delayed, with some delays spanning several years. The PAC also sought explanations for non-operational CSR-funded toilets, poor drinking water quality, and inadequate medical services.

Furthermore, the committee demanded station-wise action plans and monitoring mechanisms to meet the accessibility standards set by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, despite Indian Railways' existing monitoring mechanisms remaining ineffective.