Suneet Sharma, Chairman, Railway Board & Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Railways visited the Central Railway Loco Workshop, Parel on 8th of November 2021. The Chairman, Railway Board & CEO was given a traditional welcome at Parel Workshop with the customary Tilak, Aarti, Welcome song and tying of a Saapha (Turban). Suneet Sharma inaugurated the ZDM3 Loco which will be utilized on the sub-Himalayan region of Kangra Valley and Kalka-Shimla Railways. This Loco manufactured by Parel Workshop is the 10th locomotive out of 12 Locomotives under Rolling Stock Program by Central Railway. The Workshop has already manufactured and dispatched 9 such locos during 2019-20 and 2020-21. Central Railway Loco Workshop, Parel has set up a fine example of commitment towards ‘Make in India’ & ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, as all the items for the locos have been sourced indigenously.
The Chairman, Railway Board and CEO also inspected the Newly Modified High Speed Automobile Carrier (NMGH) coach. Recently Central Railway has developed a prototype NMGHS coach with side entry and other improved features for loading of automobiles. The NMGH coach, developed by Parel Workshop, Central Railway with improved features like Wider opening, Strong chequered flooring, Natural pipe light, Pavement markers and retro reflective tape for guidance, Improved fall plate arrangement for smooth entry and Improved end door design with barrel lock for ease of locking is the first of its kind on Indian Railways.
A presentation of memories of Suneet Sharma during his tenure at Parel Workshop was made. Speaking on the occasion Anil Kumar Lahoti, General Manager said “During his tenure as Chief Workshop Manager, Parel, he played an important role in the modernization of Parel Workshop and now as Chairman, Railway Board, is a guiding force in its continuous modernisation. Anil Kumar Lahoti reaffirmed that Central Railway will put in its best efforts to keep up the momentum.”
Sharma interacted with the staff and officers of Parel Workshop and expressed his satisfaction towards the work done by Parel Workshop. Walking down memory lane, Sharma re-lived the old times he had spent at the Workshop. He said that the biggest strength of Parel Workshop has been its ability to adapt itself to the changing times. From manufacturing Steam Locomotives to Diesel Locos to the present, the Workshop has always re-invented itself and has moved on with the times. He also said that Parel Workshop is one of the oldest and largest Workshops on Indian Railways.
Ashwani Saxena, Principal Chief Engineer, A K Gupta, Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer, Gopal Chandra, Principal Chief Electrical Engineer, Smt Ruby Ahluwalia, Principal Financial Advisor, Central Railway, Vivek Acharya, Chief Workshop Manager, Parel Workshop and other Senior Officers of Central Railway were also present.
