Railway admits it washes blankets once in two months

MoS for Railways Manoj Sinha told the Rajya Sabha that while bedsheets, bed roll and pillow covers are washed every day, the blankets are washed every two months

Indian railways, railway budget, Indian railways news, rail budget, rail budget 2016, manoj sinha, suresh prabhu, railway blanket, train blanket, train linen

Commuters board a reserved compartment of a train at the railway station in Allahabad, India, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 (AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Ever wondered why the blankets provided by the Indian railways during train journey stink at times? It may be because these are washed only once every two months.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour today that while bedsheets, bed roll and pillow covers are washed every day, the blankets are washed every two months.

His reply came to questions raised by various members of the Upper House regarding the quality and hygiene of laundry and linen supplied by the Indian Railways on trains.

Story continues below this ad

Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari quipped that the earlier system of passengers bringing their own linen and pillows for train journeys seems to be better.

[related-post]

He was supported by a Congress MP who asked the Minister if this would be allowed.

In response, Sinha said it was a “good advice” and the Railways will not have a problem if passengers want to adopt the earlier practice.

The Minister pointed out that while they have 41 mechanised laundries, plans are underway to increase their number by 25 more in the next two years so that these can serve about 85 percent of the passengers who use Railway linen and bed sheets.

Story continues below this ad

He pointed out that in places which are not covered by the mechanised laundries, the job has been outsourced.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Railway Budget