Eviction drives have often been carried out at Park Circus Railway Station in Kolkata for the removal of encroachments, but efforts have not been successful due to lack of support from the state government, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday.

Vaishnaw was asked to respond to questions regarding the steps taken to remove encroachments from the Park Circus Railway Station, Kolkata, including the presence of hawkers blocking pavements and reducing passenger accessibility.

"Indian Railways have carried out eviction drives from time to time at Park Circus Railway Station for removal of encroachments, but these efforts have not been successful due to lack of support from the State Government," the Railway Minister said.

On questions related to travellers' security, Vaishnaw said, "Indian Railways takes necessary action to address complaints related to passenger security through round-the-clock deployment of Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and the use of technology like CCTV surveillance systems." "The deployment of security staff is based on factors such as station vulnerability, timing, location, threat perception, and past crime data," he added.

According to Vaishnaw, this deployment is reviewed regularly, and security personnel are optimally assigned at stations in coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) to prevent crimes and take action against offences.

Talking about maintenance of cleanliness in the station premises, the Railway Minister said that it is a continuous process, and several measures have been taken by the Railways to maintain hygienic conditions, including the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan cleanliness drive, installation of garbage bins to segregate waste at source, improving water disposal systems, and increasing the frequency of cleaning services at stations.

"Further, with a view to improve the standard of cleanliness, the Railways regularly takes multi-pronged action by synergising technology, educating users, providing equipment for mechanised cleaning, rag picking, pest control, and garbage disposal to ensure proper cleanliness," Vaishnaw said.

He added, "Additionally, the 'Pay & Use' scheme has been implemented for effective cleaning and maintenance of toilets."

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