The Comptroller and Auditor General has criticised the railways over its waste management system in almost all sectors from stations, coaching depots, maintenance and production units as well as bio-medical waste generated in its hospitals. The CAG report on Waste Management in Indian Railways was presented in Parliament on Monday.
It also pointed out that there is no single body or agency in the Indian Railways solely responsible for handling waste management related issues, adding that there is no system of dedicated fund allocation specifically for waste management.
“Despite an assurance to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for setting up Engineering and Health Management directorate at the zonal and at the divisional level, compliance by the Indian Railways (IR) was partial. “Accountable entities at the railway stations, divisions and at the zonal level were not constituted in 38.60% of the stations test checked. In 59 stations out of 109 selected for audit, directives of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for obtaining Consent to Establish (CTEs) from related State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) were not complied with (as of 31 July 2021),” the report stated.
