Many people have had the experience of seeing rabbits on the Indian railway lines. They come out from under the platform, grab some food, and then disappear. Catching these rabbits is quite a challenge for the railways. Do you know how much it costs to catch one rabbit on the railway?
The NFR (Nordern Railway) Lucknow Division has reportedly spent an average of 41,000 rupees to catch each rabbit. Hard to believe, right? This information was revealed by the Indian Railways through an RTI (Right to Information) response. A person named Chandrashekhar Gaur had sought to know this information under the RTI Act, and the Lucknow Division provided the answer. They mentioned that from 2020 to 2022, they had caught a total of 168 rabbits, which cost them 69.5 lakh rupees. This means that the cost of catching one rabbit is approximately 41,000 rupees.
However, Chandrashekhar Gaur had also inquired about the damages caused by rabbits to the railways, and the amount of such damages has not been assessed.
Furthermore, the Ambala Division of the Indian Railways stated that from April 2020 to March 2023, they had launched a campaign against rabbits and other pests. They spent 39.3 lakh rupees during this period. However, they did not disclose the number of rabbits they had caught.
The information provided by the Lucknow Division is subject to scrutiny, and they have mentioned that this data may not be entirely accurate. They clarified that their efforts include not only catching rabbits but also measures like arshola (a type of weed) control and ensuring that there are no rabbits inside the trains. Therefore, this work is more of a preventive measure rather than just catching rabbits.
In their statement, they also mentioned that they spend 23.2 lakh rupees annually on various preventive measures against pests, including arshola, rabbits, and mosquitoes. This amounts to 94 rupees per coach for approximately 25,000 coaches worked on each year.
Source: Hindustan Times
