NEW DELHI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- More than 80,000 linens get stolen from long distance trains operated by the state-owned Indian Railways every year, officials said Saturday.
Not only linens provided to passengers for use on long distance trains, but also a number of sanitary items -- such as toilet mugs, wash basin, mirrors, bathroom taps -- get stolen from compartments every year, causing financial losses to the Indian Railways.
"It is very unfortunate that each year, basic items such as linens and sanitary products are stolen by passengers. We always strive to provide good travelling experience, but such thefts pose a problem for us," senior Indian Railways official Ravindra Bhakar told the media.
Another senior official said Saturday that the Indian Railways is now pulling all its plugs to deal with thefts of linen and sanitary fittings from train compartments.
"The Railways is mulling several measures to curb such thefts of linen and sanitary fittings from compartments, including installation of closed circuit TV cameras inside coaches so as to identify people responsible for such acts," he said.
Though railway rules mandate lodging of police complaint against each theft, officials hardly approach police. "We simply replace the stolen items and sometimes recover the costs of the same from coach attendants," the official added.
The Indian Railways is one of the world's largest train networks, criss-crossing the country from north to south. It operates some 9,000 passenger trains and carries nearly 23 million passengers every day.
This vast public enterprise can be referred to as a semi-state. It runs schools and hospitals, has its own police force and construction companies, and has 1.3 million people on its payroll, making it the seventh biggest employer in the world.
In 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government pledged 137 billion U.S. dollars over five years to modernize and expand the railways.
