A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Mizoram’s first railway line, the newly opened Sairang railway station was found littered with garbage and food waste. A video capturing the unsightly aftermath, shared by vlogger Udesh Das, has gone viral, eliciting widespread criticism regarding the lack of civic responsibility.
The Bairabi–Sairang broad-gauge project, spanning 51.38 kilometers and costing ₹8,070 crores, was celebrated as a significant achievement for the state and one of the Indian Railways’ most complex projects. However, less than 24 hours post-inauguration, images of the station in disarray overshadowed the celebrations.
In his video, titled “Indians have zero civic sense,” Das expressed disappointment at the condition of the station, highlighting the trash scattered across carpets laid out for the inauguration. He urged citizens to take pride in maintaining cleanliness in public spaces. “Look at this. This is the condition of the railway station after 24 hours of inauguration. People have littered everywhere. Who eats and leaves [plates] like this? I am angry with my people,” he remarked.
Das also pointed out that despite the presence of dustbins during such events, many still chose to litter. “This is not just about this station. It’s about our civic sense,” he added.
In response to the situation, Indian Railways acknowledged the issue and stated that it had been escalated to the appropriate officials, tagging the divisional railway manager of the Lumding Division.
The viral video has garnered over 170,000 views and prompted numerous comments from viewers expressing frustration with the apparent lack of civic responsibility. One user remarked, “We Indians deserve trains with only third-class unreserved seats and wooden benches, priced at just ₹100 from Sairang to Delhi. After all, we dislike modern trains like Vande Bharat and Duronto. Now we will start the blame game and ask the Government why they are not cleaning this station immediately.”
Other comments echoed similar sentiments, with remarks such as, “People will say it’s Modi’s fault,” and “Agree, more than education, civic sense is important.”
