Scraps are turning into gold for the Central Railway which is earning crores from its sale. In just two months of April and May this year, they sold condemned coaches, metal scraps and other things for a whopping Rs 57.29 crore in auctions.
This is a massive 522.04 percent more when compared with revenue of Rs 9.21 crore generated during the corresponding months last year. The Central Railway has been disposing of scraps and other unwanted metals in its relentless effort toward achieving the “Zero Scrap Mission”.
This is to ensure that each Railway Division, Workshop and Shed are free from scrap materials which include scrap rails, permanent-way materials, condemned coaches, wagons and locomotives etc. During the current year from April to May, the CR authorities registered a massive jump in revenues from the sale of scrap. In the financial year 2021-22, Central Railway generated Rs 530.34 crore which was the highest ever revenue generated from the sale of scrap in any financial year.
The amount is Rs 138.91 crore more than the earnings of the corresponding period from last year and is an increase of 35.48 per cent. The earnings for the corresponding period last year were Rs.391.43 crore. Anil Kumar Lahoti, General Manager, Central Railway said, "The disposal of scrap has not only helped in generating revenue but also to keep the premises clean and environment friendly".
The Central Railway has earned over Rs 400 crore in the current financial year by selling scrap items. The objective is to ensure safety and cleanliness on the premises by removing junk and achieving ‘zero scrap’ by the end of the financial year 2021-22.
The total sale during 2020-21 was Rs 391.43 crore. Scrap items including rail pieces, sleepers, tie bars, etc lying nearby railway lines is a potential safety hazard. Similarly, abandoned objects like water tanks, cabins in addition to staff quarters and other buildings are prone to be misused.
Their quick disposal has always been a priority and monitored at the highest level. The scrap of concrete sleepers, which have accumulated in large quantities over CR, is also being disposed of to make the area free for railways’ activities besides generating revenue. Though the life of the rail depends upon the traffic of the section in normal conditions, the average life of a rail piece is considered around 20 years.
However, at several locations in Mumbai, due to curvature, the rail needs to be changed after every 10 years. Due to excessive curvature at several locations in the ghat section of the Mumbai division, rail replacement is required within 10 years. On average, we replace about 100 km of rails every year. Last year, 130 km rail was replaced and this year the target is 104km. Adding that due to this exercise over 10,000 tonnes of old rail pieces are released every year.
