Indian Railway is the lifeline of India. Millions of people travel across India through Indian Railways. Affordable railway fare is one of the main reason why the majority of people travel by train. However, fare differs according to the class. Today, the majority of people travel in AC compartment due to its premium service. Clean bedsheet, bathroom, compartment takes care of travelling people hygiene.
But what about the blankets which are served to us along with the neat and clean bedsheets and pillows. As per reports, the bedsheets are washed daily, however, that's not the case with the blankets come along with it.
A 64-years-old activist named Jatin Desai got his RTI reply in which it was revealed that the brown or black-coloured thick blanket that the passengers are offered in train - even the premium trains like Mumbai Delhi Rajdhani or the August Kranti Rajdhani Express, is washed only once in a month.
He was quoted by a news organization, ""I travel a lot and occasionally I have seen torn and unclean blankets in these trains. Moreover, a friend of mine travels with his own blankets because he does not trust if they are clean. And these are premium trains of the country, so I wanted to know how often these blankets are washed so I filed the RTI.
So in February, Desai filed an RTI and got the reply that "all the linen items are washed after every use. However, blankets are washed on a monthly basis."
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On being asked to the Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of Western Railway on the matter related to the blanket he said that the blankets are of woollen material and have a life of only 50 washes.
As per CPRO Ravinder Bhake, "Earlier the blankets were washed once in two months, but it was reduced to once a month sometime back. It is not feasible to wash the woollen blanket everyday. The material has been changed to withstand more washing over the years."