Vishakhapatnam cleanest railway station, Darbhanga dirtiest

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Beas in Punjab have been declared the cleanest railway stations in A-1 and A categories respectively. Darbhanga and Jogbani in Bihar were the dirtiest in the two sections, according to a survey by Quality Council of India.

Vishakhapatnam emerged the winner in cleanliness index by securing first position in A-1 category station while Beas in Punjab topped the A category stations, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here.

He was releasing the third survey on cleanliness. The survey is done by the railways to keep a tab on rail premises.

Secunderabad (Telangana) and Jammu station got the second and third place in the A-1 category. In A category, Khammam came second and Ahmedabad third.

Hazarat Nizammudin and Old Delhi stations in the national capital were placed at 23rd and 24th position while New Delhi station was ranked 39th among the busiest stations in A-1 category.

Varanasi occupied the 14th place in A-1 category. Darbhanga was at the bottom -- 75th position.

Prabhu said: "Railways have accomplished a significant improvement in cleanliness at stations since last year."

He said the biggest challenge for cleanliness on platforms were visitors and passengers.

"The focus is on platform cleanliness, coach cleanliness, toilet cleanliness and track cleanliness," he said.

The cleanliness survey was carried out at 407 stations, of which 75 were in A-1 category or most busy stations and 332 were in A category.

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