CHENNAI: The Southern Railway underutilised between 45 and 77 per cent of its funds allocated for passenger-amenity works between 2019-24, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
The audit also noted that the Railway Ministry had not explained why underutilisation remained above 35 per cent even during non-COVID-19 years.
While the total underutilisation for all of Indian Railways in 2023-24 was Rs 5,955.83 crore, Southern Railway's was Rs 582.77 crore. Meanwhile, despite handling crores of passengers, some of Tamil Nadu's busiest railway stations continued to have gaps in basic passenger amenities, sanitation and accessibility.
Of 365 works for which the CAG could assess timelines, only 148 (41 per cent) were completed within the stipulated time frame, while 217 (59 per cent) were delayed. Twenty-nine of the delayed works had run more than three years beyond their targeted completion dates.
The CAG audit covered non-suburban railway stations across Indian Railways and examined passenger amenities, sanitation, drinking-water quality and the systems used to monitor and maintain them. Southern Railway's sample included 32 stations, of which 21 were in Tamil Nadu.
At MGR Central, which handled 2.81 crore passengers and earned Rs 1,131.49 crore in 2023-24, the audit found deficiencies in drinking-water taps and platform shelters meant for general-class passengers. The station was among the 10 highest-earning stations examined by the CAG that nevertheless had shortfalls in basic essential amenities.
The audit also identified deficiencies in basic facilities at several other major stations in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai Egmore, Tambaram, Katpadi, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli and Tirunelveli. At Egmore and Tambaram, for instance, deficiencies were recorded in facilities such as urinals, fans, signage, drinking-water taps and dustbins.
At Coimbatore junction, the findings were more serious. A water sample collected from a water cooler tested positive for E. coli. The station was also found deficient in drinking-water taps and fans. The broader picture for Southern Railway was also poor: its drinking-water deficiency score was 76.90, the second-highest among the 16 zones, with a higher score indicating greater deficiencies.
Accessibility was another area where the audit found shortcomings. A tactile pathway intended to help passengers with visual disabilities had been laid near the platform edge, rather than maintaining the prescribed 1,800 mm distance from the edge.
Some smaller stations also faced basic problems. At Nagapattinam, Katpadi, Nagore and Nidamangalam, charges for the pay-and-use facility were not displayed at the toilet premises. At Nidamangalam, auditors also found an unauthorised entry from the platform into a dwelling unit.
The monitoring mechanism itself came under scrutiny.
The Divisional Railway Users' Consultative Committees in the Chennai, Madurai, Salem and Tiruchy divisions did not meet as frequently as prescribed during the audit period. The audit also found a larger Southern Railway-wide maintenance issue involving CSR-funded toilets. Between 2020 and 2023, 187 prefabricated toilets were installed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh each, but 79 remained non-operational because service providers were not available for operation and maintenance. As a result, Rs 19.75 crore invested by Neyveli Lignite Corporation remained unutilised as of February 2025.
| Audit period | Budget grant | Unutilised funds |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Rs 264.21 cr | Rs 149.78 cr |
| 2020-21 | Rs 698.11 cr | Rs 493.41 cr |
| 2021-22 | Rs 540.57 cr | Rs 386.24 cr |
| 2022-23 | Rs 652.77 cr | Rs 505.56 cr |
| 2023-24 | Rs 1,296.79 cr | Rs 582.77 cr |