Plea in SC for hygienic drinking water, medical facilities at rly stations

New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre and others to undertake time-bound corrective measures at railway stations to ensure hygienic drinking water, emergency medical facilities, functional toilets and accessibility for passengers.

According to the cause list of November 16 uploaded on the apex court website, the plea is scheduled to come up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

The plea has sought directions to forthwith undertake time-bound corrective and remedial measures at railway stations to ensure hygienic drinking water, cleanliness and sanitation, functional toilets, proper waste management, accessibility, emergency medical facilities and all prescribed minimum essential amenities to safeguard the health, safety, dignity and life of railway passengers.

"Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction, directing the respondents to ensure comprehensive and periodic testing of all passenger drinking water sources in accordance with the prescribed standards, including for E. coli, total coliforms and other bacteriological and chemical parameters, and to immediately discontinue every unsafe or contaminated source and provide safe alternative drinking water until rectification and certification," said one of the prayers made in the plea. It referred to a Comptroller and Auditor General of India report tabled in Parliament in August this year, which flagged the presence of E. coli bacteria in drinking water from water coolers and unhygienic conditions in washrooms at several stations.

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