2 weeks ago
Western Railway Uses Nano Coating to Tackle Gutkha Stains
Some people spit a red, sticky juice called paan or gutkha at train stations, and it leaves ugly stains on walls.
Cleaning these stains takes a long time and costs a lot of money.
The Western Railway in Mumbai found a clever way to help.
They are using a special coating, like a super paint, made with tiny nano technology from Germany.
This coating stops the stains from sinking deep into the walls.
When stains stay on the surface, workers can wipe them off much faster.
The railway tested this coating at Matunga Road station first.
Now they are putting it on walls at Dadar and Mumbai Central stations too.
Between April and July, people were caught spitting 12,265 times at 34 stations, and they had to pay fines.
The railway hopes the coating will keep stations cleaner for about five years.
Western Railway is expanding a German nano-technology-based anti-stain coating to high-footfall stations to prevent paan and gutkha stains.
The coating has been applied at Dadar and Mumbai Central after a pilot at Matunga Road, with Khar identified for the next phase.
Western Railway recorded 12,265 spitting cases across 34 suburban stations between April 1 and July 31, 2026, collecting Rs 27.18 lakh in fines.
Virar topped the list with 1,242 cases and Rs 4.31 lakh in fines, followed by Borivali with 1,016 cases and Rs 2.09 lakh.
Officials say the coating cuts stain-cleaning time from about 30 minutes to nearly five minutes and is expected to last around five years.
- Who
- Western Railway
- What
- Expanding an anti-stain nano coating at high-footfall stations to prevent paan and gutkha stains from penetrating walls, pillars and other surfaces
- Where
- Suburban stations on Mumbai's Churchgate-Virar corridor, including Dadar, Mumbai Central, Matunga Road and Khar
- When
- April 1 to July 31, 2026 for the 12,265 recorded spitting cases; the coating expansion is ongoing
- Why
- To reduce the time and cost of cleaning stubborn paan and gutkha stains and maintain hygiene at busy stations
Key facts
- Spitting cases recorded
- 12,265 (April 1 - July 31, 2026)
- Stations covered
- 34 suburban stations on the Churchgate-Virar corridor
- Fines collected
- Rs 27.18 lakh
- Pilot station
- Matunga Road, at a cost of around Rs 5 lakh
- Coating products
- Wallguard and Metalguard
- Cleaning time per stain
- Reduced from about 30 minutes to nearly 5 minutes
- Coating lifespan
- Around 5 years
- Top station for cases
- Virar (1,242 cases, Rs 4.31 lakh in fines)











