PAC slams Railways over poor passenger amenities

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament has criticised the Railways for its failure to provide basic amenities to passengers, observing that there was “culpable negligence” in ensuring essential facilities at railway stations. An audit of passenger amenities at 177 railway stations revealed that only 92 (52%) had even the minimum required facilities. During the two-day PAC meeting that concluded here on Wednesday, committee chairperson K.C.

Venugopal, MP, criticised the Railways for failing to treat Keralam fairly despite the State being among the highest contributors to its revenue. The committee also flagged the delay in implementing corrective measures after E. coli bacteria were detected in drinking water at the Palakkad railway station, despite earlier directives to address the issue.

The audit revealed serious deficiencies in basic amenities. Bio-toilets and urinals were inadequate at 96% of the stations surveyed.