New Delhi, July 24 — Only one of the two bedsheets in the bedroll packet issued by Indian Railways (IR) to passengers travelling in air‑conditioned classes is washed after single use, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed in Parliament on Friday.
“Each bedroll packet contains two bed sheets, one pillow cover and a hand towel. One bed sheet is intended for keeping on the sleeper seat. In contrast, the additional bed sheet provided in the standard bedroll kit is intended as a covering layer under the blanket so that the blanket is not in direct touch with the passenger’s body. This blanket cover sheet is washed after single use,” the minister informed the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question.
This has raised questions among rail users, primarily on how attendants identify which sheet has been used as a blanket cover and why the other sheet, which has been slept on, is not washed after single use.
Vaishnaw outlined several measures to improve the quality of linen supplied to passengers. He said blanket covers are being provided to all AC class passengers in trains operated by North Western Railway and in the newly launched Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Kamakhya and Howrah as a pilot initiative, which has been widely appreciated.
He added that “whito‑meters” are being used in all mechanised laundries to check the effectiveness of cleaning linen, while CCTV cameras have been installed across laundries to monitor operations.
The minister also said a pilot project using automated AI‑camera stain detection technology has been initiated in laundries at Pune Division, Central Railway, and the Jaipur and Jodhpur divisions of North Western Railway to ascertain the quality of washed linen.
“The codal life of various linen items is prescribed under extant Railway rules and is reviewed periodically based on usage, condition and serviceability. Linen items found unserviceable are withdrawn and replaced in accordance with the prescribed norms,” Vaishnaw said.
The codal life of handloom linen bedsheets is 12 months, while Polyvastra ones last 24 months. Pillow covers and face towels have a codal life of nine months each, while pillows and blankets last 24 months.