Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 6: Jammu-Katra railway track (78 Km) will soon be turned into a green rail corridor with zero toilet discharge by equipping the coaches of trains plying on the route with bio-toilets.
According to the sources in the Northern Railway, 12 trains from various parts of India ply to Katra and about half of them have been equipped with bio-toilets while the work on remaining is underway and soon would be completed.
Sources said that the track was identified to make it green train corridor – free from human waste discharge from trains as part of the Swachh Bharat drive launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under which Railways have taken up a mammoth task of providing human waste discharge free bio-toilets in all its coaches and the same would be completed by September 2019.
“With provision of bio-toilets in all the coaches of trains plying on Jammu-Katra route, discharge of human waste from trains on to the track would be completely stopped which in turn would help in improving cleanliness and hygiene beside, preventing corrosion of the tracks”, they maintained.
Sources said that these bio-toilets have been developed jointly by Indian Railways and Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) for railway passenger coaches. “In the bio-toilets, anaerobic bacteria – developed by DRDO and hence called ‘DRDO Bacteria’ – converts human waste into water and gas which is released through outlets. Water is subjected to chlorination and then discharged outside”, they added.
They maintained that the long-term impact of these bio-toilets will be a clean and environmental-friendly track that also facilitates a healthy working condition for those working on railway tracks. “These environmental-friendly toilets will also reduce water usage and enable easy maintenance without required public intervention”, sources claimed.
Moreover, as a part of the drive, two each well furnished bio-toilets (different from those being in trains) named known ‘Numma’ are being established at both Jammu and Katra Railway Stations and will soon be opened for public”, sources said, adding with quotes ‘Use Public Urinals, Not Public Places’, the toilets also have instructions mentioned for handicapped and old aged persons.
When contacted, chief PRO, Northern Railway, Neeraj Sharma, confirmed that the work on fitting bio-toilets in railway coaches as well as stations is underway and the Jammu-Katra track will be turned into green corridor well before March 2017, as announced by Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu, while inaugurating nation’s first Green Rail Corridor, a 114-km long Rameswaram-Manamadurai stretch in Tamil Nadu, on 24 of last month.
He said that Numma toilets are prefabricated stainless steel toilets having a cost of Rs 17 lakh per block of 8 units comprising of 2 males, 1 female, 1 handicap and 4 urinals.
Follow our WhatsApp channel