New Delhi

All mainline coaches carrying passengers are equipped with bio-toilets that have prevented corrosion of rail fittings caused by human waste, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply to questions on the installation of bio-toilets in trains, he said the Indian Railways has adopted a zero-discharge bio-toilet system for its coaches to eliminate direct discharge of human waste onto railway tracks and to improve hygiene and cleanliness.

"The work has been taken up in mission mode by the Indian Railways," the minister said.

"At present, all passenger-carrying mainline coaches equipped with toilets have been provisioned with bio-toilets. This has also prevented corrosion of rail fittings due to human waste."

Drawing a comparison between 2004-2014 and 2014-2025, Vaishnaw stated that while only 9,587 coaches were provisioned with bio-toilets between 2004 and 2014, as many as 3,33,191 (more than 34 times) coaches have been equipped with such facilities between 2014 and 2025.

"In order to ensure proper functionality of bio-toilets, an awareness campaign is launched during the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' every year to sensitise all passengers about the cleanliness of coaches and toilets," the minister said.

He also listed several actions taken to generate awareness among passengers about the functionality and cleaning of bio-toilets to prevent clogging due to non-biodegradable waste.

According to Vaishnaw, full-scale deployment of bio-toilets in coaches has resulted in a paradigm shift in the level of cleanliness of railway tracks and especially at stations where the foul smell and sight of human waste were not being felt or seen any more.

ALSO READ: 10 Muslim jurists, legal luminaries who shaped India as a nation

"This has resulted in enhanced safety of rolling stock and rail tracks as lack of human waste/spatters on rail tracks/under-gears of rolling stock ensures quality in maintenance work," he added.