The RPF is also serving notices to citizens living in hutments by the tracks warning them of punishment if they throw rubbish on or around the rail lines
Throwing trash on the railway tracks will now land citizens in jail, with the Central Railway (CR) authorities and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) stepping up their efforts to clean up the tracks.
The RPF is also serving notices to citizens living in hutments by the tracks, warning them of punishment if they throw rubbish on or around the rail lines. This is a good initiative and it must have enough teeth to punish violators, especially repeat offenders. The fines must hurt and certainly the jail term should act as a very strong deterrent to flouting this rule.
For years now, train commuters have been used to seeing our tracks used as litter bins. The heaps of rubbish on the side of the tracks are a common sight. In fact, the stench is so strong that commuters cover their noses as the train slows down towards a station.
Even while commuting, one often sees locals, mostly those who live just next to the Railway lines, use the track as their personal litter bin. People are witness to rubbish being flung out of hutment windows and we also see people coming towards platforms and hurling garbage on the track.
Having said that, we have to see that even commuters do not use tracks as dustbins. They simply fling things on the track, too lazy to walk towards a trash can. For them, it is about 'sparing' the train bogey, but the tracks seem to be free for all.
It is time we change, and it will take fines and jail terms to change what had become an ingrained habit. It is a sad commentary on civic sense and responsibility, but so be it. Let us look forward to sparkling clean infra, including rail tracks and not just trains, as it is all part of the same commuting network.
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