Indian Railways Directs Zones to Bolster Grievance Systems Amid 50% Spike in Cleanliness Issues

The Railway Ministry has reportedly asked all zonal railways to review their grievance redressal systems after a sharp increase in cleanliness-related complaints was recorded on the Rail Madad platform, as per PTI report. 

A review of data for September, October and November 2025 shows a rise in complaints related to coach cleanliness and bedroll services, along with a marginal fall in positive feedback from passengers. 

Bedroll-Related Complaints Rise 

Data shared with zonal railways shows that 8,758 complaints related to bedrolls were received in September 2025. This figure increased to 13,406 in October and stood at 13,196 in November. This represents an increase of around 50% in October and November compared with September. 

Passenger feedback linked to these complaints also increased in number, from 3,628 in September to 4,766 in October and 4,582 in November. However, the ratio of feedback received to complaints registered declined slightly in the two months following September. 

Decline in Positive Feedback 

An analysis of feedback quality shows that the proportion of ‘excellent’ and ‘satisfactory’ responses for bedroll-related complaints fell by 1.9% in October and 0.83% in November compared with September. The ministry noted this reduction during its monthly review of Rail Madad grievances. 

Coach Cleanliness Complaints Increase 

Complaints related to coach cleanliness also rose during the same period. In September, 24,758 such complaints were recorded. This number increased to 33,804 in October and further to 36,673 in November, reflecting a rise of about 48% over September levels. 

Feedback received against these complaints stood at 8,987 in September, 10,553 in October and 10,607 in November. Despite the higher number of feedback entries, the share of ‘excellent’ and ‘satisfactory’ responses declined by 2.62% in October and 1.19% in November compared with September. 

Directions to Zonal Railways 

In a January 6 letter to zonal principal chief mechanical engineers responsible for housekeeping services, the Railway Ministry asked zones to analyse the reasons for the decline in positive feedback and take steps to improve grievance redressal. 

Read More: Govt Asks Air India, SpiceJet, and Other Airlines for Fare Data After December Travel Chaos! 

Conclusion 

The ministry noted that while complaint volumes and feedback numbers have increased, the quality of feedback has weakened. Zonal railways have been directed to address the issues identified during the review. 

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