Indian Railways will use its manufacturing and production facilities to make essential medical items for coronavirus patients.

Share Market Live

NSE

The Railway Board has asked its general managers to assess feasibility of manufacturing items like simple hospital beds(without mattress), medical trolleys for hospitals and quarantine facilities, IV stands, stretchers, hospital footsteps, hospital bedside lockers, washbasins with stands, ventilators, personal protective equipments like masks, sanitizers, water tanks among others.

Railways has consulted its production units and zonal railways workshops and has decided to use units like Chittaranjan Loco Works, Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Diesel Loco Works in Varanasi and Rail Wheel Factory in Yelehanka to manufacture the essential medical items.

"Railway Board has entrusted the task to the General Managers to explore the feasibility in consultation with Chief Medical Officer of the zone and manufacture it in large quantities," the Railways spokesperson said.

The exact items will be decided in consultation with the principal chief medical directors in the specific railway or production area.

While railways has suspended passenger trains across the country till March 31, it is running goods trains round the clock to ensure supply of essential commodities.

Commodities like food grain, salt, sugar, milk, edible oil, onions, fruits and vegetables, petroleum products, coal etc are being loaded at railway terminals and railway staff has been deployed at various good sheds, stations and control offices.

On March 23, 891 rakes were loaded by Indian Railways, including 391 rakes of coal, 27 foodgrain rakes, 125 rakes of iron ore, 48 rakes of steel, 25 rakes of cement, 28 rakes of fertilizer, 106 rakes of container etc.

"Close coordination is being maintained with the state governments so that rakes of essential commodities are handled smoothly without any delay, amidst various restriction imposed in the wake of COVID-19," the Railways said, adding it runs 9,000 freight trains daily.

Indian Railways has also slashed the demurrage and wharfage rates for goods and parcel at half of the prescribed rates till March 31.

"Time for loading/unloading of wagons and time for removal of consignment from railway premises has been increased to double of the prescribed free time till March 31,” the Railways said.

Earlier today, the Railway board had said contractual employees involved in services provided in train, for sanitation, pantry car and other commerical activities will not be removed.

Railways has at least 50,000 contractual and outsourced employees

"Such temporary, outsourced, contractual establishments etc should be paid accordingly till expiry of lockdown. Maximum payment to be limited to 70 percent of contract value for contracts awarded on lumpsum basis," Railways added.

The payment is limited to 70 percent of contract value as labour component of a contract is considered and not material component.

First Published:Mar 24, 2020 4:16 PM IST