Southern Railway’s projected requirement for contractual payments was of ₹194 cr, but the budget allocated for 2019-20 was only ₹108 crore. The Hindu reported: “While a sum of ₹39 crore was already spent from the allocation in the current fiscal, there was a liability of ₹155 crore which was ₹86 crore more than the available funds.”

A senior railway officer told the daily newspaper that if there continues to be no response, the zone will be forced to withdraw pest control and bio-toilet maintenance services. It is also preparing for the eventuality of passenger complaints on dirty coaches and stinking toilets. “This is a major setback to the ongoing Swachch Bharat mission on Indian Railways,” the official said.

The crunch has already started to affect the condition of trains and stations. According to a report in Times of India, water availability, track maintenance and cleanliness of stations – particularly smaller and suburban ones – has been impacted. Some stations also do not have sufficient medicines stock.