The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Southern Railways to take necessary steps to provide functional and clean toilets and quality drinking water in all suburban railway stations in Chennai with in two months and make temporary arrangement till then.
The First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh passed the order on a PIL moved by Satta Panchayat Iyakkam (SPI) that the Southern Railway has failed to provide the basic facilities as mandated by the Indian Railways Works Manual, 2000.
“More than 15 lakh people in Chennai commute through the suburban railway system. This is an important mode of transportation for people in around the city. The network has over 70 railway stations out of which not even 20 per cent of the stations have functional, clean toilets or quality drinking water facility,” the petitioner said.
When the petition came up for hearing, the counsel for Southern Railways stated that a tender has been floated on January 21 for 84 stations in Chennai division to provide toilet facilities on pay- and-use basis.
The tender will be opened on February 12 and the situation will show great improvement within about one month’s time, he said.
Recording the submissions the Bench said, “It is completely unpalatable situation that even in suburban railways in Chennai, such a situation would prevail.”
Pointing out the submissions of the counsel for railways that endeavours made earlier through floating of tenders have not been successful, the judges said, “If that be the position, is it not necessary that even the present tender would evoke same response? All that can be said is that the tenders are on such terms and conditions as it is not eliciting any response, or other wise, the requirement would be for the railways to make necessary arrangements in-house for these facilities.”
Disposing of the PIL, the Bench listed the matter on April 15 for compliance.
Of the 70 railway stations, not
even 20 per cent have functional, clean toilets
