Trains and stations to smell of pine, lemongrass

New Delhi: Despite a spate of accidents, the focus of Indian Railways seems to be more on making trains smell like pine and lemongrass following an objection raised by railway minister Piyush Goyal over the “unpleasant” and “peculiar” smell.

The minister’s complain has prompted the Railway Board to change the deodoriser-cum- disinfectant used by the national carrier via a circular dated October 5.

According to the circular, the Railway Board has said that there was a need to use better odour-cum-disinfectant fluids in railway offices and trains as stressed by Mr Goyal.

The circular said that the need for use of better odour-cum-disinfectant fluid, in place of phenolic type disinfectant fluid currently being used in railway offices and trains, to avoid unpleasant peculiar smell was stressed by minister of railways during meetings held on September 11 and October 3, 2017. It suggested that an alternative deodorising-cum-disinfectant fluid having some pure strained absolute essential oil like pine, lemon grass or any other essential oil having pleasant odour, which was being used in some sections of the railways, should be considered.

In the circular, the board said that it has directed that all fresh procurement of disinfectant should be of the alternative kind for all railway locations requiring such disinfectants. Hence, all railway offices, hospitals, stations, coaching depots and trains are likely to soon smell of pine and lemon grass, a senior official said. The circular also stated that the procurement of the “peculiar” smelling disinfectant fluid should be discontinued. The Railways has recently been hit by a spate derailments and accidents the most recent being the Mumbai accidents which killed 23 persons.