Nagpur:- Following the launch of 482 Covid-19 isolation or quarantine buses, the Central Railway (CR) is now planning to manufacture covers for personal protective equipment (PPE).
“CR will manufacture 25,000 critical preventive covers for railway doctors and paramedical community from an overall target of 1.5 lakh PPEs by Indian Railways,” said Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Shivaji Sutar.
These PPE coveralls will be as per the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) approved standard and specification and the sample submitted by Northern Railway.
“The raw material will be picked up from suppliers authorized by the government and each coverall made by the railways will cost Rs 422 including GST, while the one available on the market will cost Rs 808. CR’s own manufacturing of PPE coveralls will provide a huge relief as it will shield its front-line railway staff from being contaminated, “Sutar said.
The PPE coveralls will be stitched at Parel and Matunga workshops on Central Railway. The effort of Parel Railway workshop to tackle Covid-19 is enormous. It has recently manufactured 50 oxygen cylinder trolleys and supplied them to Central Railway hospitals to be used for the quick movement of much-needed oxygen cylinders, apart from its contribution to converting significant numbers of coaches into isolation wards.
The 140-year-old Parel workshop, Sutar said, has the unique distinction of providing services to the armed forces during world wars.
In the last month, CR filled 70,374 freight wagons in 1,415 rakes aside from PPE and converting coaches. At various terminals, about 75 rakes are handled for regular loading and unloading from the divisions of Mumbai, Nagpur, Bhusawal, Solapur and Pune.
Railway staff working 24×7 at various sheds, stations, and control offices to transport critical commodities such as food grains, coal for power generation, fertilizers, weapons, petroleum products, de-oiled cakes, and miscellaneous goods.
Sutar is running on 220 timed parcel trains in which critical items such as drugs, vegetables, perishable items, postal bags, etc. are transported throughout the world.
