Dearth of maintenance staff in Railway

KOCHI: The Railway is not able to clean the empty railway rakes and keep the compartments safe by downing the shutters due to shortage of staff. The maintenance staff are supposed to close the shutters of the window and close the doors once they are shunted in the yard at the end of the journey. It is their duty to clean the rakes and the toilets before the rakes are towed to the platform for a new journey, Venugopal, Senior Divisional Manager, said. At the same time there is acute shortage of maintenance staff to execute the work. He said the local in-charge in the respective stations are supposed to ensure that the maintenance staff carry out their work regularly. However, he said that he would look into the matter soon. If the maintenance staff do not carry out the cleaning operations, what happens to the fund earmarked for the deodorants and other cleaning agents? Train travel is always tough and it is worse during the rainy season. With the monsoon starting on time with all its intensity, the passengers are feeling the pinch as the rakes of the trains starting from Ernakulam junction are flooded with water.  As the eagerly waiting passengers rush into the empty rakes that are towed into the platform, they are forced to use the wet seats. Many of them manage to clean the seats with their umbrellas and newspapers, while others curse the railway sub staff for not doing their duty. Viju Choolackal, general secretary, Karithala Poura Samithi, said the Nagore Express from Ernakulam Junction of Tuesday was all flooded with water and passengers were found struggling to settle down. Mathew Paul, general convener, Action Council for Railway Development in Kerala, said the council had already brought the matter before the Union Railway Ministry and other leaders in Kerala. He said that the lavatories of most of the trains are filthy and are not fit for use.