Here’s the Wikipedia gyan about Indian Railways.

Indian Railways has one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting over 18 million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily.^[3][4] It is the world’s largest commercial or utility employer, with more than 1.4 million employees.^[5][3] The railways traverse the length and breadth of the country, covering 6,909 stations over a total route length of more than 63,327 kilometres (39,350 mi). As to rolling stock, IR owns over 200,000 (freight) wagons, 50,000 coaches and 8,000 locomotives.^[3]

What is less known about this massive rail system is that it provides primitive toilets in ALL those 9000+ trains: all human waste gets discharged down on the rails. Now, do you get the frightening scale of things? Railways distributes the waste from 18 mn. people, well almost, across the length and breadth of the country. The waste is never cleaned up and is allowed to get washed off by rains into rivers, lakes and other water bodies or contaminate ground water. Most of it dries up on the tracks and get blown across the neighborhood. That means, if you are living near a track, the air you breathe is charged with this stuff, apart from the heavy dose of diesel fumes from the locos.

Is the Indian Railways aware of the gravity of the matter? Read these excerpts from a Planning Commission document for the Eleventh Plan (2007-2012)

• Railways will also endeavour to provide Controlled Discharge Toilets in trains that permit discharge only after the train has attained a minimum speed after a certain number of flush cycles having been performed. This arrangement will enable prevention of discharge near bigger stations/densely populated areas as trains generally pass such areas at relatively slow speeds. This toilet design thus prevents direct discharge of waste at stations. It is proposed to fit approximately 1000 such toilets every year at approximate cost of Rs.20 crores per year (Plan head 53).

• (install) environment friendly coach toilet systems in 4000 new coaches. Appropriate technology options such as “biological degradation” type or “vacuum retention, storage and evacuation at terminals” will be considered.

Ah!, all is not lost. But, just look at the priority given to a national shame! Rs. 20 Crores ($5 Mn) a year, and that too, only to ‘control’ the distribution of  s**t . .. Get the point? If, as the planning commission document says, new trains are going to be fitted with more hygienic toilets, we only need to worry about the existing stock.

It is very clear that nobody has yet told the Railways that all this is too much c**p.  Until Supreme Court orders them, that is if somebody sues the Railways, they will never bother to fit hygienic toilets on the existing trains. Guaranteed.

Railways could very well consider partnering organisations like Sulabh International, which have been doing pretty good work in the area of sanitation and hygiene.  It is high time too that we raised our voices against this national shame.

There is something else that I want to say about Indian Railways. But, that should raise the hackles, as it directly affects passenger safety. But, note, our Railways have managed to improve its safety record considerably.