Railways washing blankets twice/month after public outcry over hygiene
What's the story
After public outcry over the hygiene of woolen blankets provided in AC coaches, the Northern Railway has announced that it is now washing them every 15 days. Apart from regular washing, the blankets are also sterilized using hot naphthalene vapor on a fortnightly basis, Northern Railway spokesperson Himanshu Shekhar said. The Indian Railways distributes over six lakh blankets daily to passengers across the country. In the Northern Railway zone alone, more than 1 lakh blankets and bedrolls are handed out.
Sanitization upgrade
UV robotic sanitization pilot project on Rajdhani trains
Shekhar also unveiled plans for a pilot project of UV robotic sanitization on Jammu and Dibrugarh Rajdhani trains. This novel technique employs ultraviolet light to kill germs after every round trip, providing maximum hygiene to passengers. He further said that cotton linens are washed in mechanized laundries after every use and have to pass the "whitometer test" to ensure cleanliness.
Hygiene history
Evolution of blanket hygiene practices in Indian Railways
Giving a brief history of the railway's blanket hygiene practices, Shekhar said, "Before 2010, woolen blankets were washed once every 2-3 months. Then this was brought down to a month and now it's 15 days." He admitted that in areas with logistical challenges, all blankets are washed at least once in a month. But, he said, that's an exception, not routine.
Distribution details
Indian Railways's blanket distribution across the country
Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha that train blankets are washed at least once a month. But he also said that Indian Railways are taking steps to improve passenger satisfaction and bedding hygiene. These include the procurement of new linen sets with better Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications and the introduction of mechanized laundries for the supply of hygienic linen sets. He was responding to Congress MP Kuldeep Indora's question on how often blankets are washed.