Counsel on-board housekeeping staff to build trust with passengers: Railway Board to zones

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) The Railway Board has directed all its zones to conduct counselling sessions for On-Board Housekeeping Service staff to build trust with the passengers during the train journey.

The Board, in its letter addressed to all zones, stated that the Member (Traction and Rolling Stock) suggested system improvements during a recent on-board train inspection, which include counselling of housekeeping staff.

"All On-Board Housekeeping Service (OBHS) staff should be counselled to introduce themselves at the beginning of the journey and build trust of passengers. That is, they are available to assist during travel," the Board's letter said, quoting Member (Traction and Rolling Stock).

It added, "Daily counselling of OBHS staff should be conducted to ensure this practice is followed consistently." The Railway Board has directed all zones to ensure strict compliance with the instructions.

The OBHS scheme was started by the Railway Board in 2006 as a pilot project in six mail and express trains. Later it extended OBHS services to other trains as well. Currently, the scheme is running in over 1,200 pairs of important Mail and Express trains, according to officials.

Under the scheme, the Railway Board has entrusted Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to ensure overall cleaning of coaches including toilets, doorways and aisles, as well as providing various passenger amenities such as catering and bedroll services.

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its report tabled in both Houses of Parliament, said that during an audit of OBHS in 2023 in 15 trains (one train each across zones except East Coast Railway Zone), several deficiencies were noticed.

The CAG said that 13 out of 15 trains -- including the Bilaspur Rajdhani Express, Pune-Secunderabad Shatabdi Express, Kota-Patna Express, Darjeeling Mail, and Gorakhpur Weekly Express -- it noticed deficiencies such as choked and stinking lavatories and wash basins, soiled linen stored in doorway area, and dirty vestibule area.

The CAG also observed a shortfall in inspection by railway officials in 2021-22 and 2021-23, which violated Railway Board's May 2010 guideline.

"The shortfall in inspections, coupled with a large number of instances of deficiencies against contractual provisions, was indicative of the need for strengthening control over the contractors," the CAG said.

"Ensure that full implementation of the directives of Railway Board for surprise checks conducted by Railway authorities on all running Express and Mail trains and the results thereof are properly documented for achieving improvement in the quality of cleanliness," one of the recommendations of the CAG said.

Sources said that after the CAG's audit report, the Railway Board has become quite serious on enforcing its existing guidelines to improve the working of OBHS and that is why senior railway officials are carrying out inspections to improve the system. PTI JP SHS RUK RUK