SCR Secunderabad division improves cement loading

Hyderabad: Giving a major thrust to 'Mission Hungry For Cargo', the Secunderabad division of South Central Railway has given special focus on expanding its freight customers to include new cement players in the industry. It has identified 11 cement plants.

A release said cement is one of the major commodities being transported by the division. Last year, it transported 22.364 MTs of cement. There are 19 siding points from where cement is directly loaded from plants.

To further expand this segment, the business development unit (BDU) of the division has been making tireless efforts to attract new cement customers to railways. Accordingly, the division has identified 11 cement plants without railway siding and where transportation of their products was happening only through roadways.

The BDU team has been conducting regular meetings, making them aware of the benefits of transportation by the railways and understanding needs of customers. These efforts have started to yield rich dividends with the division succeeding in attracting three new cement industries in the current financial year to transport their products by railways. These include M/s Dalmia from Gadchandur, M/s MP Birla, Gadchandur and M/s Nagarjuna Cements from Mattampalle.

To facilitate transportation by the railways, the division has developed required infrastructure at these stations/goods sheds in shortest possible time, as these do not have exclusive railway sidings, said a senior officer.

Arun Kumar Jain, General Manger (In-charge), advised officials to mainly make the freight customers aware of how loading by the railways is not only economical, but also beneficial in terms of safety, speed and being environment-friendly.