In the Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat ranking released by the ministry on Wednesday, Chandigarh Railway Station has ranked 130th position. The list comprises of a total of 611 stations.
In 2018, the all-India rank was 222, which has jumped to 130.
Difference In Opinions
The city railway station is said to be one of the favourites of railway minister Piyush Goyal. He had been sharing on social media to appreciate the sanitation staff and cleanliness here.
However, the ranking committee had different opinions concerning the following:
- Sanitation Staff
It gave the lowest marks for the mechanism adopted for managing staff, shift rotation, cleaning and the equipment they use.
- Cleanliness
Another aspect appreciated by Goyal was the positive picture of the railway station post-cleaning by the staff. Unfortunately, as per the ranking, 221 marks were allotted out of 333 for cleanliness.
Comparison With Other Railway Stations
- Ambala division
Dinesh C Sharma, Railway Manager, Ambala division, said that nine stations from the division had participated, but they had high expectations from Chandigarh. In case of Ambala division, it has failed to come in the first 20 lists.
- Kalka division
| Parameters | Chandigarh | Kalka |
| Overall Ranking | 130 | 102 |
| Process Evaluation | 259 | 277.5 |
| Direct Observation | 221 | 211.17 |
| Feedback Category | 326 | 329.73 |
| Total | 806.3 | 818.4 |
IRSDC Responsibility
To carry out the cleanliness drive, the railway station was handed over to the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) in March. Their responsibility included cleaning of platforms, washrooms, and waiting rooms, and to manage parking lots.
As per an IRSDC official, they were shocked about the rank as they got fewer marks in the process evaluation. This area was its strength.
The official added that at the Chandigarh railway station, equipment, documentation work of the staff, and other things were up to the mark. All the latest documents were provided during the visit of the ranking committee.
News Source: Times of India
Image Source: Google Images