The Waltair Division of East Coast Railway (ECoR) has handled 9,100 tonnes of parcel cargo during the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2 till date. The division geared up its entire network to operate the parcel trains during the national crisis.
A total of 603 trips of time-tabled parcel express trains carrying essential commodities like food items, groceries, medicines, medical equipment, fish, fruits, vegetables and other daily needs were transported to different parts of the country, according to Senior Divisional Commercial Manager A.K. Tripathi.
The Division carried 6,344 tonnes of parcels to different places in the country and received more than 2,760 tonnes of parcels from different parts of the country. The essential commodities that were transported from the division include: 4,346 tonnes of mangoes, 15 tonnesof medicine and medical equipment, 98 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, 885 tonnes of fish and fish feed, 94.3 tonnes of milk and dairy products and 904.5 tonnes of miscellaneous products.
Divisional Railway Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava complimented the commitment of the staff and officers in continuing the uninterrupted supply chain during the pandemic. The Business Development Unit (BDU) was set up with primary focus towards bringing the Railways closer to industry and trade and to encourage the small and marginal business entities, he said.
The Division was also holding interactions with the cargo movers to improve loading and unloading and the efforts to enhance the cargo movement, he added.
