CAG lauds eco-friendly linen laundry in Ahmedabad, urges Railway Ministry to replicate it elsewhere

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) An eco-friendly mechanised linen laundry at Kankaria Depot in Ahmedabad Railway Division has drawn the attention of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for being the most economical, efficient and environmentally friendly among 19 laundries selected for inspection out of 67 operational units during 2022-23.

The Ministry of Railways has now established over 100 mechanised linen laundries to provide clean, hygienic and high-quality linen to passengers travelling in AC coaches.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reviewed the functioning of 19 out of the total 67 mechanised laundries, and it found that one of these followed the best practices. The audit report was recently tabled in both Houses of Parliament.

The CAG said that linens, used by passengers, are washed through outsourcing contracts in mechanised laundries outside railway premises, laundries constructed under the Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) model on railway premises or departmental mechanised laundries on railway premises.

"During the joint inspection, the audit observed that the BOOT Laundry at Kankaria Depot of WR had been operating in an economical, effective and environmentally friendly manner. The laundry uses a high-efficiency thermic fluid heater," the report said.

It said that closed-loop circulation of hot oil is done for efficient drying of linen at the ironers. "It is an environmentally safe operation through the use of bio-fuel for firing, which ensures low emission levels with manual dust collection and ash disposal. The ash can also be used as manure for farming." The auditing team was impressed by the water conservation method adopted by the operator and said that the plant makes use of groundwater which is first treated by machines to reduce its hardness to acceptable levels.

"Raw water is treated with reverse osmosis (RO) for sparkling whiteness of linen. After washing of the linen, the used water is treated in the effluent treatment plant in compliance with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board norms before its discharge into the drains," the report said.

The above activities, if replicated at other places, can help the Railway Administration in achieving the benefits of mechanised cleaning in an environment-friendly manner, it added.

The sudit report recorded the Railway Ministry's statement in which the Ministry said in August 20224 efforts would be made to replicate the practices adopted by the mechanised laundry at Kankaria Depot of Western Railway.

"Regarding the use of biofuel, the Ministry stated that some of the State Pollution Control Boards did not support the use of such fuel," the report said, reiterating its advice to "implement the good practices adopted for linen management across zones".

According to CAG, in the Indian Railways, out of 67 mechanised laundries commissioned till 31 March 2023, 19 laundries were set up on a BOOT basis in eight zones, and 48 laundries in 13 zones are departmental. "Construction of 30 more mechanised laundries was in progress during the year 2022-23." The CAG found various shortcomings in other laundries and concluded that in most of the mechanised laundries, the provision for obtaining feedback from passengers regarding the quality of linen supplied was not enforced upon the linen distribution contractors and Rail Madad complaints were comparatively less in the zones where feedback was being obtained by the linen distribution contractors. PTI JP RT RT