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Passengers in Ludhiana harried as Railways withdraw blankets, curtains
Divisional railway manager Rajesh Aggarwal said all blankets and curtains will be disinfected and provided only after further orders
Coronavirus outbreak has prompted the Railways to withdraw blankets and curtains from AC coaches, but the move has caught the passengers off guard.
When 12920 Malwa Express — running between Jammu and Indore — reached Ludhiana railway station at 1.30pm on Monday, passengers in the AC coaches were found lying on their berths without blankets. While some doubled their bedsheets, many were seen with their own blankets.
Due to fear of contracting the virus, some passengers also avoided the bedrolls given by the Railways, assuming that the linen was also not washed daily, just like the blankets.
However, it is pertinent to mention here that blankets provided in trains are washed once a month, while bedsheets and pillow covers are washed daily after the use. The Railways, in order to reduce the necessity of blankets, has even fixed the minimum temperature at 25°C in all AC coaches.
Vishal Saxena, a resident of Bhopal who was travelling from Katra in coach B6, said the train attendants only provided a pillow cover and a bedsheet.
“When I enquired why the blankets were not being given, I was told those have been suspended from usage as a precautionary measure in the wake of coronavirus outbreak,” he said.
Another passenger from Jalandhar, Ashwin, who was travelling to Indore in coach B5 said, “Though the temperature in AC coaches has been set to 25°C, I am still feeling chilly. I have requested for an extra bedsheet from the attendant to double it as a blanket.”
Divisional railway manager (DRM) Rajesh Aggarwal said thousands of passengers travel via trains, which has prompted the authorities to take all precautions to avoid the virus spread.
“As the curtains and blankets are cleaned once a month, we have removed them from the AC coaches. All blankets and curtains will be disinfected and provided only after further orders,” he added.
He said it has been decided to limit the minimum temperature to 25°C in all AC coaches.
“Though trains were being cleaned regularly earlier, the frequency of disinfecting the coaches has increased now,” the DRM said.
