Page 37 - CIJ JAN 2024 - Digital Edition

Special RepoRt

Yashodhar Vallala, President, Railway Boot Railway Board meets with the cleaning industry stakeholders in an exclusive meeting during
Laundry Operators Association and CEO, Supreme CRC Hyderabad
Laundry Services

from the coach exterior and over shortage in coaches were other Justifying automatic
time, the condition of the coaches problematic areas, he added. Linen
has deteriorated. Intricate spaces in management and loss or misuse cleaning
the coaches were not reachable for of linen was an issue too, he Arun Thapar, a long-term
cleaning. said. Adequate storage space for cleaning vendor for the Indian
chemicals and tools in coaches was
Proper chemicals were not used, Railways, justified the performance
strong enough to remove stains needed, he pointed out. Though the of the automatic coach-washing
railways have outsourced on-board
but light enough to not remove housekeeping staff to contractors plant by saying that 50 of them
the paint. The coach interior had a and penalty clauses were in place, have been satisfactorily operating
lot of different areas like the floor, there was still high absenteeism for the railways and metros. The
aisles and gangways and different of nearly 20 percent of the staff, automation had made it possible
materials like LP sheets, PVC leading to unclean trains and to wash hundreds of coaches every
floor, berth rexines that needed to delayed services to passengers. day with the system consuming
be cleaned thoroughly. Pit lines Inadequate manpower was a reason barely 60 litres of water per
cleaning was another issue, he for poor coach maintenance. coach. He cited other advantages
said. Collection, segregation and While suggestions were made to including consistent quality and
disposal of waste was a major address the issues, they needed to labour saving. He however said
challenge and so was pest and be implemented in order to reduce that passengers, being major
rodent control. Garbage disposal passenger complaints and improve stakeholders, had to be educated
and garbage collection and water travel experience. on maintaining cleanliness in the

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