'IRCTC Can Be Made Responsible For Waste Management In Stations, Trains': Kerala High Court Orally Suggests

The oral remark was made by a Special Bench of Justices Bechu Kurian Thomas and Gopinath P. which was constituted to monitor the waste management in the State.

In 2023, after the incident of fire at the Brahmapuram Solid Waste Management Plant, Kerala High Court had initiated a suo motu proceedings to consider the aforesaid incident and other matters relating to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

After discussing about the various waste management issues in Ernakulam city, the Court orally stated that it would be considering the issue related to the Railways next.

The Court orally observed that in the earlier proceedings, the Railways had mentioned that there were intermediate stations from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod that act as waste removal/collection stations.

The Court also expressed concern about how this waste gets treated or managed once it is collected from the trains at such intermediate stations. It also wondered about how waste generated after passing the intermediate stations is managed once it reaches the destination.

Though it was orally submitted to the Court in earlier proceedings that the Railways had identified such stations and are intending to enter into agreements with local authorities for the waste management, the Bench conveyed its apprehension about what happens to the waste once it was handed over to the local authorities.

The Court wondered about the efficiency of the current system when the waste bins in the trains are small and a lot of plastic waste is generated, especially in trains like Vande Bharat in which food is supplied.

During the oral discussion, the Bench made a suggestion that IRCTC can be made responsible in managing the waste created during its operation.

The Court orally remarked that IRCTC, being one of the more profitable government corporations that gets a percentage of profits while selling food in trains and auctioning stalls on the railway platform, can be made a party to the proceedings.

The Bench opined that it would not be proper if only the State agencies are made responsible when the corporation generated huge margins of profits out of the operations that create the waste.

It thus, orally suggested that the IRCTC can also be made responsible for the waste management in the Railways.

The matter is posted to August 8 for further consideration.

Case No: WP (C) 7844/2023

Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala