Northern Railway ropes in agency to control rodent menace

, Jun 8: Plagued with the problem of rats at

and in coaches, Northern Railway has roped in a pest-control agency to tackle the menace. "We have awarded contracts worth Rs 1.69 lakh per month to a pest-control agency to do away with the menace of rats and other rodents at rail premises including coaches, platforms and station yards in Delhi Division," a senior Northern Railway official said.

While it will cost Rs 64,000 per month to make the New Delhi station rodent free, the pest-control agency is charging Rs 38,000 and Rs 29,000 per month, respectively, for Old Delhi and Nizamuddin stations. The pest control measures are costing Rs 38,000 per month for Ghaziabad and Meerut stations. The rodent control treatment is going on in all major depots of the division, said the official.

However, despite the pest-control measures, New Delhi station, one of the busiest stations in the country is yet to be free of rats and rodents. "There are stray cases, at times, when the rats sneak into the station yard premises from nearby grain shops in Sadar Bazar area," the official said.

PTI