Patna Junction cleared of pee mess

No different was the scene on the campus of Patna railway station, where anybody or everybody could urinate in public, and head for their destination unhindered.

But no more. Within a week after the general manager (GM) and the Danapur divisional railway manager (DRM) of East Central Railway inspected the Patna junction, a special cleanliness drive has been launched. On the first day, 30 persons were literally caught with their pants down and apprehended for urinating at different spots on the campus of Patna Junction. These 30 offenders were produced before the railway magistrate who penalised them as per the law. “We have launched a special drive to penalise such people as only then they will realise that urinating in public place is not only a nuisance but also a punishable offence,” said a senior ECR official.

The move was all the more important as the Railway Ministry had announced to make Patna a world class station. “But once you get down at the station, you will find yourself amid pools of urine at the entrance and the exit gate,” the officer supervising the drive said.
Apart from the filth and odour, religious sentiments of people also get hurt, as people detrain here for their onward journey to Bodh Gaya and Nalanda. Besides, there is a well-known Hanuman Temple, a Masjid and a Buddha Park, just a few metres away from the entrance gate. “But then, those who pee in public care a damn about the historical, religious and tourist importance. Unless and until, they are punished,” said the officer.