Indian Railways continues with freight services, dispatches agri product to Bangladesh

India has sent four rakes full of agricultural products to Bangladesh amid the COVID-19 crisis to continue operating the freight and parcel trains in order to ensure the supply chain remains intact. Four rakes of essential agricultural products including dry chilies, turmeric, and ginger have been successfully loaded and despatched from different stations of the zone to Bangladesh, said South Central Railway (SCR).

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"Even in the prevailing pandemic times due to outbreak of COVID-19, South Central Railway has been continuously operating freight and parcel trains to ensure that the supply chain, particularly of essential commodities, remains intact across the nation," an official statement issued by SCR on Thursday read.

"Now the services of the zone during the current lockdown have crossed the country's borders wherein essential commodities are also being transported to the neighbouring country, Bangladesh. Four rakes of essential agricultural products have been successfully loaded and despatched from different stations of the zone during the current month," the statement read further.

According to the statement, one rake consisting of 42 wagons with 2,477 tonnes of dry chilies has been loaded and despatched from Tadepalligudem station to Darshan station in Bangladesh on May 12.

One rake consisting of 42 wagons with 2,472 tonnes of onions was despatched from Nagarsol station to Darshan station on May 26. Two rakes consisting of 42 wagons each with a total of 4928 tomes of dry chilies, turmeric and ginger were despatched from Reddipalem railway station to Benapole railway station on May 26 and May 27.

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As per the last update from Indian Railways, the national Railway service has run more than 3274 Shramik Special trains carrying over 48 lakh passengers. Indian Railways have so far served around 4.7 million free meals to the needy people across the country during the lockdown.

Besides ferrying the migrants, the Indian Railways is also involved in the manufacturing of essentials required for COVID warriors who are at the forefront of the battle against the deadly virus. During the lockdown, the Indian Railways produced 1.2 lakh coveralls of PPEs, 1.4 lakh litres sanitiser and 20 lakh reusable face mask/cover to support the nation's fight against the pandemic.

(With ANI inputs)