Ahmedabad/Surat4 hours agoAuthor: Aziz Cutleriwala
Gujarat’s four major railway stations: Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, have been flagged for deficiencies in basic passenger amenities by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), exposing gaps despite their importance to the state’s rail network.
The findings are part of CAG’s report on passenger amenities and sanitation at non-suburban railway stations, which was tabled before the parliament on 12 August. The audit covered 512 stations across all 16 railway zones and found deficiencies in at least one Minimum Essential Amenity (MEA) at 458 stations, or nearly 89%.
Deficiencies flagged across Gujarat’s major railway stations
Ahmedabad, Surat among major gaps
Ahmedabad, an NSG-1 station earning about ₹933.10 crore annually and handling nearly 3.85 crore passengers, lacked prescribed drinking-water taps, seating and water coolers.
It was among only 10 high-earning/high-footfall stations nationally where MEA deficiencies were found. Surat, also NSG-1, earned around ₹728.25 crore and handled about 5.03 crore passengers, but lacked drinking-water taps and fans.
Rajkot, an NSG-2 station, was deficient in drinking-water taps, seating, platform shelters and water coolers, while Vadodara lacked drinking-water taps and fans.
CAG report tabled in parliament
The Western Railway audit sample extended beyond these four stations to Mumbai Central, Valsad, Mahesana, Bharuch, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Veraval and several others, classified from NSG-1 to NSG-6.
Modernisation amid basic deficiencies
Several stations in the sample, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Mahesana, Bharuch and Veraval, are classified as Amrit Bharat stations, highlighting the gap between modernisation plans and existing basic-amenity compliance.
Western Railway ranked second nationally on overall MEA deficiency, indicating comparatively better performance, but recorded the highest Divyangjan-amenity deficiency score at 74.66, against 4.72 for Eastern Railway.
Execution and funding gaps under scrutiny
CAG flagged Divyangjan-amenity deficiency at Western Railway stations
The CAG found that 59% of 395 passenger-amenity works reviewed for 2019-20 to 2023-24 were delayed, with delays ranging from one to over four years. Only 41% met stipulated timelines.
Budget Grant under-utilisation for passenger amenities ranged from 36% to 44% during the period, including non-COVID years, pointing to weaknesses in planning, execution, monitoring and prioritisation rather than funding alone.
The CAG stressed that redevelopment cannot justify prolonged deficiencies in mandatory passenger facilities.
Despite contacting, the representatives from Ahmedabad Division and Western Railway are yet to provide any specific changes made in their respective jurisdictions following the CAG observations.
