(This story originally appeared in on May 10, 2015)

NEW DELHI: Surprise inspections, hefty fines and strict vigil have ensured that New Delhi railway station looks clean and tidy and meets commuters' expectations. When TOI visited the country's largest and busiest station, it was in for a surprise to see clean tracks, stink-free washrooms and comfortable waiting rooms.Thanks to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Northern Railway has taken a slew of measures to raise the sanitation standard of the station. Arun Arora, divisional railway manager, Northern Railway, said, "Keeping the station premises clean is a collective responsibility of the rail administration, vendors and commuters. He said these initiatives had been taken over the past two months on the lines of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and that the administration aimed at making the station one of the clean stations in the country."Our surprise visits have made an impact. The staff have become punctual and perform their duties properly. Also, our teams have intensified efforts to catch those found littering and fine them up to Rs 500. We have also issued strict instructions to the vendors to keep emptying their bins at regular intervals. Stickers and bills have been removed from walls ad metal poles are being polished regularly," Arora added.He said such steps were helpful in reminding even the commuters to maintain cleanliness at the station premises.Besides its own staff, the railway administration has engaged three private firms for the sanitation work. These companies have hired 300 workers to clean the tracks, platforms and station buildings. "The three firms — VPSSR Facilities Primus Solution Enterprises and Apcon India — are working with us. There are 80 railway staff involved in the entire operation," the senior railway official said.Appreciating these initiatives, commuters said there were some visible changes at the station. "Even though we are yet to achieve international standards in terms of sanitation and cleanliness, whatever the railways have done deserves appreciation. Of course, there are not adequate sitting arrangements on the platforms but people can even sit on the floor as it looks pretty clean. It looks good to see the sanitary volunteers around. It's a rare sight at Indian railway stations," said Mainak, one of the commuters.Arora said though three companies were involved in sanitation work, a new project would be launched soon. "A comprehensive cleaning contract is being planned by the commercial department. This will replace all the existing contracts given by various departments," he said.