Hyderabad: Railways meeting basic needs of industry

Hyderabad: Express, passenger and suburban train services all over India have been stopped till March 31. All passenger carrying trains have been brought to a halt in the wake of the fight against spread of Covid-19 Corona Virus, while freight train services are being run to transport essential commodities for meeting the needs of the nation 24X7 by Indian Railways.

The South Central Railway has been In the forefront of this endeavor and in the last three-day period of stoppage of passenger carrying train services, the zone has run over 200 freight carrying trains everyday between 22nd to 24th March and the operations will continue.

Commodities principally being transported by the zone include coal to various thermal plants to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the region; petroleum products to meet the needs of the industry and other users; food grains, milk etc., to meet the basic needs of the people during this emergent period.

Close coordination is being maintained with the state governments so that rates of essential commodities are handled smoothly without delay, amidst various restrictions imposed in the wake of COVID-19. Indian Railways has slashed the demurrage and wharfage rates for goods and parcels at half of the prescribed rates till 31st March.

SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya has been personally monitoring the entire situation and feasibility plans for operating freight carrying trains on a daily basis. Extensive coordination between various departments is enabling the zone to ensure that the workforce handling various tasks, report and perform their duties with a strong motto to serve national interest in difficult times. SCR has requested all the stake holders to fully support in ensuring faster loading and unloading of essential supplies.