Kannur: A sad state of affairs persists in 54 railway stations under the Palakkad division as cleaning services have remained stalled for more than 50 days now. Yet, the division authorities refuse to take action and release funds to the stations.

The daily fund release stopped in August. As a result, the cleaning of 54 railway stations has been stalled since November 1. More than 200 cleaning staff were let go as their monthly wages could not be paid. 

There is no manpower available for cleaning the stations, including in Mahe, which is part of the Amrit Bharat scheme. As a part of this scheme, Rs 10 crores has been allocated to this station but it cannot spare Rs 10,000 for cleaning services.

Except in main stations, it is the responsibility of the station master to arrange a workforce to carry out sanitation activities. Most of these workers have been employed in this manner for years now. Monthly funds ranging from Rs 10,000 to 20,000 are allocated to each station for this. 
In cases where funds are delayed, the station authorities pay from their own pockets. 

There are 94 stations, including halt stations, under the Palakkad division. Cleaning is carried out in main stations like Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod where special contracts are given for cleaning services. Thiruvananthapuram division has 104 stations where cleaning is done in a proper manner. 

Most of the stations where the cleaning has stalled are not lagging behind in terms of revenue and passenger numbers. Yet, cleaning does not seem to be a priority here.