Mumbai, October 1: Nearly 109 tonnes of plastic waste was collected during a fortnight-long cleanliness drive carried out by the Western Railway at its stations, the WR said on Tuesday. As part of the nationwide Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, both the Central Railway and Western Railway carried out the campaign at stations coming under their respective jurisdictions from September 16.

"During the drive, over 109 tonnes of plastic waste was collected at stations. Total 3,926 passengers were penalised and fine worth Rs 7,59,780 was collected for littering," the Western Railway said in a statement. Around 15,831 trees across 51 stations were planted during the drive and 4,535 posters/banners put up for awareness on cleanliness and plastic ban, it said. Total 1,264 waste bins were donated by NGOs, self-help groups and local organisations, it added. Mumbai’s Juhu Beach Spews Out Plastic Waste On the Shore! Netizens Concerned (Read Tweets).

According to the Central Railway, around 10.16 lakh people took part in activities like cleaning, planting trees and spreading awareness about the ban on single-use plastic. "From now onwards, there will be special emphasis on improving the standard of cleanliness in trains and at stations," it said.