The apex decision-making body of Indian Railways has set a one‑month deadline, cautioning that violations will trigger termination of service contractors.
The Railway Board, the apex decision‑making body of the Indian Railways, has issued detailed instructions to all 19 Zonal Railways on the management and disposal of garbage from trains during their journey. The directive aims to enhance cleanliness and improve passenger experience.
According to a Thursday statement from the Ministry of Railways, “The instructions reinforce a mechanism where on‑board housekeeping service (OBHS) and pantry car staff are mandated to collect garbage from passenger compartments and dispose of it in sealed bags at specifically nominated stations en route. This system is designed to maintain the cleanliness of both the train interiors and the railway infrastructure.”
The move follows several videos surfacing on social media platforms, especially the microblogging site X, showing OBHS personnel throwing waste from running trains, as well as pantry car staff misbehaving with passengers over overpriced water and food articles.
A key focus of the new order is the role of on‑board staff in delivering a hospitable and comfortable journey. By ensuring a clean and waste‑free environment within coaches and toilets, the staff contribute significantly to passenger comfort and safety. The Railway Board has directed that these frontline staff, who are largely contractual, must be adequately trained and equipped by the Zonal Railways to fulfil these responsibilities effectively.
Staff Training Drive
To ensure ground‑level implementation of these protocols, the Railway Board has mandated an immediate and extensive exercise of ‘Samvaad’ (dialogue sessions) with the concerned on‑board staff.
This programme will be jointly conducted by senior supervisors and officers from the commercial and mechanical departments across all zonal railways. The objective is to engage directly with staff, explain the critical importance of their role in the Swachh Bharat Mission, and understand operational constraints.
“Staff will be briefed on the instructions issued for handling garbage and catering waste, along with procedures for disposal at nominated stations identified for each train,” the statement added.
The Samvaad will include screening of instructional videos to help OBHS staff clearly understand waste‑management practices, while reinforcing their responsibility under the Swachh Bharat Mission to keep trains and stations clean.
Completion Deadline
This comprehensive exercise is slated for completion within one month, ensuring coverage of all trains. Feedback from divisions will be compiled at the zonal level and submitted to the Railway Board for review.
The Railway Board’s communication also highlights a strict compliance mechanism. The licensees of OBHS and pantry car services will be formally counselled on these guidelines. Any violation will be treated as a major breach of contract, initiating termination proceedings against the defaulting parties.
This initiative builds upon earlier instructions issued in July 2024, which outlined a system for mandatory en route garbage disposal. That system included conducting work studies to assess garbage generation, fixing a minimum number of garbage bags to be disposed of at designated stations, and entering this data into the centralised Coach Maintenance Management (CMM) system of the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) for effective monitoring.