Train travel with cockroaches

LUCKNOW: Hi-tech mechanised laundries, it seems, have been installed only for the show purposes by the Railways. As it is, the Railways do not believe in washing dirty linen in public (laundries).
Travelling by AC-II tier, the least one expects is a hassle-free journey far from the sufferings of ‘janta'' class. And that includes a neatly packed clean bedding.
However, how would you react when you open the packet and find a dirty blanket with a few cockroaches thrown in for free. Just to keep you company through that long journey.
Well, this is what this passenger experience the other day. Anjali Mishra, who was travelling in an AC-2 tier coach, said that "though the blankets were neatly packed in bags, they were dirty from use." Moreover, "it seemed as though they had not been washed or dry-cleaned for months together," she added.
Another passenger, Rajesh Singh, again travelling in the same coach, complained that as soon as he opened the blanket, he found cockroaches in the folds.
"The blanket was very dirty and I was shocked when I found the cockroaches," he exclaimed, adding angrily that when he complained and demanded that he be provided neat blankets, the attendant rudely replied -- "Lena hai to lo nahin to wapas kardo, hamare paas to aise hi kambal hain" (take it or leave it, all the blankets are the same).
Another passenger, Pravin Bhatt, remembered that only a few months back, the NR too had inaugurated the ultra modern laundary, claiming that now passengers would get the best service and clean laundry. Much stress is laid by the Railway officials on cleanliness and providing facilities to the passengers to make the journey comfortable and pleasant, he said.
"But if this is the standard of cleanliness after even the minister of state for Railways, AK Moorthy, has directed the officials to clean up their act once too often, then what can we expect?" fumed Bhatt.
The Railways officials, however, swear by the cleanliness. Though they admit that every month there were 40-50 complaints but that all these complaints were disposed the same month.
"Only ten out of 1,000 people come forward with complaints," said a senior Railway official. Also, he added, "most of the complaints registered are of completely unavoidable situations and are not genuine ones. Some people also go to the consumer forum seeking compensation, but so far we have won 92 per cent of such cases," revealed the official, adding, "that itself establishes the hollowness of such complaints."