Now, get receipts for using loos at select railway stations in Tamil Nadu
By B Anbuselvan | Express News Service |
Published: 23rd December 2017 01:50 AM |
Money matters
Toilet maintenance works at the Central and Egmore stations attract a lot of bidders as these stations handle more than 50,000 passengers a day and the contract value is around `90 lakh to `1 crore a year. However, contractors are reluctant to maintain many other crowded stations, including Tambaram, Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam, owing to poor collections. So, the railway has introduced a revenue-sharing contract model to attract more people to maintain toilets.
Toilet maintenance works at the Central and Egmore stations attract a lot of bidders as these stations handle more than 50,000 passengers a day and the contract value is around `90 lakh to `1 crore a year. However, contractors are reluctant to maintain many other crowded stations, including Tambaram, Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam, owing to poor collections. So, the railway has introduced a revenue-sharing contract model to attract more people to maintain toilets.
“Contractors have to pay 65 to 70 per
cent of the collection on a daily basis to the railways. The rest would
be the contractors’ share. Highest bidders have been awarded contracts
in 11 stations. Equipment expenses must be borne by the contractor. He
must provide receipts to commuters,” explained the official.
Through the revenue-sharing model,
officials estimated a income of `10 lakh a year. The printing machines
will not only account for the daily total usage but also ensure that
passengers are not fleeced. Rail passengers earlier were asked to pay `5
for using the urinal and `10 for the loo at the Chennai Central and
Egmore stations. Often pilgrims and tourists from north India and
workers from northeastern states had been manhandled in the past at the
Central, asking them to pay up to `20 for using toilets.
Admitting to receiving complaints, the
official said they were studying the possibility to introduce the device
at Central and Egmore. “As and when complaints are received, we will
impose a penalty on the contractor, ranging from `2,000 to `5,000. In
the event of repeat complaints, we will initiate procedures to terminate
the contract. We are also studying contractual conditions to check for
legal hindrances to introduce hand-held billing devices at Central and
Egmore, as the contract has already been awarded,” added the officer.
When Express visited the Perambur and
Tambaram stations, the introduction of receipt at toilets had surprised
many rail commuters. However, the contractor had initial difficulties in
handling the device. S Sathish, who got the receipt at Perambur, said
that it is great on the railway’s part to provide receipt for `2. They
should continuously monitor the implementation of the facility,” he
added.
Scaling up
Of the 161 stations under the Chennai railway division, apart from Central, Egmore and other 11 stations, 120 less patronised stations to be divided into two categories will be maintained by awarding toilet contracts. Social organisations like NGOs and self-help groups will be given the task of maintaining select stations in the Chennai - Gummidipundi section, without any revenue share. Besides, Southern Railway is planning to pay contractors at remote stations in the Tiruvallur-Jolarpettai section and Chengalpattu-Villupuram section under the viable cap funding model.
Of the 161 stations under the Chennai railway division, apart from Central, Egmore and other 11 stations, 120 less patronised stations to be divided into two categories will be maintained by awarding toilet contracts. Social organisations like NGOs and self-help groups will be given the task of maintaining select stations in the Chennai - Gummidipundi section, without any revenue share. Besides, Southern Railway is planning to pay contractors at remote stations in the Tiruvallur-Jolarpettai section and Chengalpattu-Villupuram section under the viable cap funding model.
“Under the VAF model, apart from the
toilet collection, the railways will pay funds required for maintaining
the toilets,” added railway sources. This will ensure that all 161
stations in the Chennai division will be provided with public toilets.
No comments:
Post a Comment