Indian Railways Linen Items Missing from AC Coaches Cross 1.27 Crore; Contractors Face ₹104.51 Crore Loss

Indian Railways has revealed that more than 1.27 crore linen items have disappeared from AC coaches during this time frame. This pertains to bedsheets, towels, blankets, pillows and pillow covers - items noted through RTI enquiries. 

The statistics shared by The Indian Express consider 54 divisions under 16 zones of Indian railways. Some divisions provided only partial data - suggesting even higher losses. 

Bikaner Reports the Highest Loss 

Bikaner had the highest missing parts, about 25.76 lakh pieces. In Ranchi, the figures were 9.31 lakh, while for Delhi and Mumbai it was 8.21 lakh and 8.17 lakh respectively. Jodhpur came in with nearly 8.09 lakh, while Ahmedabad followed with 6.94 lakh and Danapur lost about 5.72 lakh. 

Ten divisions across seven zones accounted for 67% of the losses - including Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaipur zones as well as Ranchi, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Sonpur, Danapur and Bilaspur. 

Face Towels Lead the Missing Linen 

Face towels came in at around 46.54 lakh - the highest of the five categories - followed by bedsheets at 41.13 lakh. The number of missing pillow covers was around 23.59 lakh. Blankets and pillows totaled 12.95 lakh and 2.76 lakh respectively. 

The most affected item varied by zone. Bikaner saw the highest loss of 12.42 lakh in missing bedsheets. Towels were the largest category missing in Delhi, Ranchi, Mumbai, Danapur, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The category of pillow covers topped the figures in Sonpur and Bilaspur. 

Contractors Face ₹104.51 Crore Loss 

The missing linen has also affected contractors responsible for supplying and managing bedrolls. Their estimated losses over the four-year period stood at ₹104.51 crore. 

Bikaner's reported losses rose from 2.99 lakh pieces in 2022 to 12.34 lakh. Sonpur went from 36,448 to 3.01 lakh, while Delhi saw a fall from about 3.27 lakh to 68,013. Ahmedabad and Samastipur also recorded declines of 83% and 86% respectively. 

The Railways said it is using CCTV surveillance, verification of contractual staff and the Coach Mitra app to monitor linen distribution. 

Read More: Telangana Government Plans to Launch Ride-Hailing App for Auto Drivers! 

Conclusion 

The RTI data records more than 1.27 crore missing linen pieces from AC coaches between 2022 and 2026, with estimated contractor losses of ₹104.51 crore. 

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