Railways set up handloom stalls at Tirupati station

Tirupati: In commemoration of 75 years of Independence, 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Indian Railways has brought handloom products within the reach of passengers by opening stalls at various railway stations. Though these stalls were inaugurated on August 14, they will be kept open till August 20. As part of the Government of India's initiative to promote handloom textiles produced locally, the Ministry of Railways has set up exhibition stalls at 75 stations across the country to depict the symbol of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

Following this, the South Central Railway has set up two stalls at Tirupati railway station, four at Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Kacheguda and Vijayawada. Lepakshi Handicrafts Emporium and APCO Fabrics have opened their stalls in Tirupati station.

However, the response of the rail passengers to handlooms was not quite encouraging so far. After the pandemic, only a few trains have been running and even these trains were witnessing poor footfalls. The station premises look deserted during most of the time which might be the reason for the poor response.

Still, the passengers have been appreciating the Railways' initiative to give priority to handlooms on an important occasion such as the 75 years of Independence.

Local Railway officials including the Station Director K Satyanarayana have made arrangements for the stalls at Tirupati.