2 weeks ago

Western Railway Uses Nano Coating to Tackle Gutkha Stains

Western Railway Uses Nano Coating to Tackle Gutkha Stains
Western Railway Turns To Nano Coating To Tackle Gutkha Stains At High-Footfall Stations After 12,265 Spitting Cases · freepressjournal.in

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.

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)

Sources

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