Railway blankets washed only once in 2 months

Almost all Indian railway travellers must have faced stinky blankets that make them fear catching a disease. It now emerges that these fears are justified, as the blankets are washed only once in two months.

A simple mental calculation would show that each blanket is thus used by up to 60 passengers before they are washed.

Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour on Friday that while bedsheets, bed rolls and pillow covers are washed every day, the blankets are washed every two months.

His reply came to questions raised by various members of the upper house regarding the quality and hygiene of laundry and linen supplied by the Indian Railways on trains.

Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari quipped that the earlier system of passengers bringing their own linen and bedding for train journeys seemed to be better.

He was supported by a Congress lawmaker who asked the minister if this would be allowed.

In response, Sinha said it was "good advice" and the Railways will not have a problem if passengers want to adopt the earlier practice.

The minister pointed out that while they have 41 mechanised laundries, plans are underway to add 25 more in the next two years so that these can serve about 85 per cent of the passengers who use Indian Railways' linen and bedsheets.

He pointed out that in places which are not covered by the mechanised laundries, the job has been outsourced.