Lucknow’s Northern Railways spent Rs 69.5 lakh between 2020 and 2022, to catch 168 rats. As it spread to 25,000 coaches annually, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala called the division “rats of corruption” and said the expenditure was “minimal”…
A Right to Information (RTI) request showed that Northern Railways’ Lucknow division spent Rs 69 lakh on rat control in three years. Chandrashekhar Gaur, an RTI activist, wanted to know how much the Indian Railways spent on rat control.
The Lucknow division of Northern Railways caught 168 rats between 2020 and 2022 with Rs 69.5 lakh, according to Gaur’s RTI application.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused “rats of corruption” of stealing from people nationwide in response to the Lucknow division’s response.
Railways spent Rs 41,000 and 6 days catching a rat! After 3 years and Rs 69 lakh 40 thousand, 156 rats were caught! This only applies to Lucknow “X (formerly Twitter) wrote.
Northern Railways has five divisions: Delhi, Ambala, Lucknow, Firozpur, and Moradabad. All divisions were asked about rat-catching costs.
The RTI reply lists the rodents trapped in the past three years by year:
After a news portal reported on the RTI reply, the Lucknow division said the rat-catching budget includes many pest and rodent control activities.
“Spraying a flushing agent to prevent cockroach infestation, disinfecting stabling and maintenance lines to prevent rodent entry into train coaches, fogging, etc., are part of the work to catch rats,” the official statement said.
“The work is preventative rather than active rodent control. According to the article, controlling cockroaches, rodents, bed bugs, and mosquitoes in all Lucknow Division coaches costs Rs 23.2 lakh per year.
The Lucknow division called the expenditure “minimal” because it covers 25,000 coaches annually at Rs 94 each.
Conclusion
A Right to Information (RTI) request revealed that the Lucknow division of the Northern Railways spent Rs 69 lakh on rat control in three years. Between 2020 and 2022, the division caught 168 rats for Rs 69.5 lakh. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala called Lucknow “rats of corruption” and said 156 rats were caught in three years. The Lucknow division reported that rat catching costs include spraying a flushing agent to prevent cockroach infestation, disinfecting stabling and maintenance lines, and fogging. Controlling cockroaches, rodents, bed bugs, and mosquitoes in all Lucknow Division coaches costs Rs 23.2 lakh per year.
