MARGAO
Hazard a guess how is the garbage generated on the running trains disposed of by the railway cleaning staff? Pose the question to Konkan Railway officials and apt comes a reply that it has a mechanism in place for the collection and disposal of waste generated onboard its trains.
What about the long-distance trains running along the Konkan railway route passing through Goa? Do long-distance trains have an inbuilt waste disposal mechanism to handle the waste?
Consider this for an answer. A group of pilgrims from Goa returning home on the Mangala Express from Nashik found to their shock and surprise that the dry waste generated onboard was just thrown out of the train. The cleaning staff seemed to have no remorse over the action when questioned by alert passengers from Goa. The staff is seen on a video dumping the waste out from the running train.
Former South Goa Zilla Panchayat chairperson Sabrina Dias, who was returning home along with other members from the pilgrimage in Nashik, has called for action, including a waste management system for safe disposal in running trains.
“We had all boarded the train in the wee hours of Sunday when I noticed the train cleaning staff sweeping the bogey and disposing of the waste out. I recorded the action of the staff since a similar incident occurred when I was returning home on a long-distance train in October last.”
She added: “Not only did the cleaning staff throw out dry waste, including plastic bottles and other items, in the morning but repeated the act in the afternoon. By that time, the train must have already entered the Goa stretch, and the waste must have been landed along the railway tracks or spread in the neighbourhood.”
Sabrina pointed out that when the Indian government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays stress on the Swacch Bharat Mission, the Indian railways should find a solution to the waste management problem.
“Our Goa government is also spending huge amounts of resources to clean waste from roadsides. When our institutions rope in young children to join in cleanliness drives on important days, including Gandhi Jayanti to keep the surroundings clean, the railways have no right to just dispose of the waste out of moving trains. The Railways too should take the responsibility to maintain the surroundings clean,” she added.
No idea how long-distance trains tackle waste: Konkan Rly official
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
Konkan Railway senior officials have pointed out that it has an inbuilt mechanism onboard to store the waste generated in the running trains and then unload the trash at the destination, either at Mumbai or Margao.
The officials, however, said that they have no idea how the long-distance trains running on the Konkan Railway tracks handle the waste generated onboard.
KRC senior official Baban Ghatge said the two Konkan Railway trains, Konkan Kanya and Mandovi Express, have put a system in place wherein waste generated onboard is stored and unloaded at the destinations, at Mumbai or Margao.
He said the KRC has entered into an arrangement with the Margao Municipal Council for the lifting of the waste from the Margao railway station daily.
“The KRC makes the payment to the Margao civic body in lieu of disposing of the waste generated by the Konkan Railway,” he said.
Ghatge conceded that he has no idea how the long-distance trains handle the waste. He, however, stated that Konkan Railway had in the past issued fines to the long-distance trains whenever the personnel manning the railway crossing noticed that waste was disposed of from a particular train.
Litter a common scene along tracks close to residences: Seraulim locals
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
Among the host of issues discussed at the gram sabha of Seraulim panchayat on Sunday, the issue of waste disposed of along the railway tracks figured prominently.
With the Konkan railway tracks running close to the residential houses in the village, members pointed out that it’s not uncommon to find waste and litter, including liquor bottles, along the railway tracks close to their residences.
Gram sabha member Vincent Fernandes drew the attention of sarpanch Seema Shanke on how the tracks and the surrounding locality have been littered with waste thrown from moving trains.
“Just a couple of days ago, I collected liquor bottles which were found along the railway tracks. One person comes and collects the plastic from the tracks, but the bottles and litter are left behind, creating an eyesore,” Vincent pointed out while urging the panchayat to write to the Railways to ensure that waste from the running trains does not litter the tracks and the surrounding areas.
