PAC pulls up Railways over gaps in passenger amenities despite promises

Around 96% of stations surveyed had deficient bio-toilets, finds CAG report; panel says Railways ignored observations made since 2007; PAC Chairperson directs Railway Ministry to submit a response within a month

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday (September 17, 2026) expressed concern over persistent deficiencies in passenger amenities and sanitation across railway stations, with a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit finding that bio-toilets, projected as a game changer by the Indian Railways, were found deficient or non-functional at 491 of the 512 stations inspected.

The findings were discussed at a PAC meeting, headed by senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, which examined the CAG’s Report No. 31 of 2026 on passenger amenities and sanitation at stations.

Sources said Mr. Venugopal acknowledged the scale and complexity of managing the Indian Railways, but said that should not hamper basic services for citizens. He noted that four PAC reports on the subject have been presented since 2007, highlighting key deficiencies, but the Railways ignored the findings. He added that the Ministry of Railways continued to submit action-taken reports, without making any significant improvements on the ground.

Sources said the PAC Chairperson directed the Ministry to review the committee’s observations, made since its 2007 report, and submit a response within a month detailing measures to address the deficiencies.

“The meeting was one of the most important subjects concerning common passengers, railway passengers in this country. Basic amenities provided to passengers have serious discrepancies, including drinking water, seating arrangements, fans, and roofing on platforms... The audit has pointed out serious lapses on the part of the Railways, which we are examining... After one month, we will call another meeting with Railway officials and we will discuss this” Mr. Venugopal said after the meeting.

The latest audit noted that while the Ministry had informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways in 2020-21 that it had introduced bio-toilets, water-vending machines and Wi-Fi facilities, several shortcomings remained. Audit teams found deficiencies in water-vending machines at 29 of 77 stations, and Wi-Fi facilities at 65 of 380 stations.

The report is the fourth audit on the subject in nearly two decades, following performance audits on cleanliness and sanitation in 2007 and 2013 and a compliance audit on passenger amenities and station modernisation in 2016. The CAG observed that “nearly a decade later, deficiencies in various Minimum Essential Amenities persist across Zones, despite repeated assurances”.

The audit flagged gaps in drinking water facilities. In its action-taken report on the 2016 audit, the Ministry had said that adequate drinking water taps had been provided at suitable locations for passengers in the general and second-class categories at all stations. But the 2024-25 audit found that adequate taps were unavailable at 188 stations; of these, taps were fewer than prescribed norms at 134 stations and absent altogether at four stations.

Similarly, the Ministry had informed the PAC in its 2016 report that all stations would be provided with high-level platforms irrespective of category. However, the latest audit found that 172 of the 291 platforms inspected across 97 stations were not high-level. Overall, 1,558 platforms across the network remained at rail-level.

The report also pointed to non-compliance with a PAC recommendation made in its 2009-10 report on cleanliness and sanitation. At the time, the committee had advised the Railways to publicise the availability of complaint and suggestion registers through public address systems and awareness campaigns. Sixteen years later, the audit found that 130 stations displayed no information about complaint registers, while 22% of passengers surveyed were unaware that such a register existed. The CAG recorded this as non-compliance despite the committee’s earlier advice.

Published - September 17, 2026 09:49 pm IST