Lalu Prasad once called Indian Railways a Jersey cow, metaphorically comparing the political mileage the behemoth can give with the animal’s high milk yield. Mamata Banerjee, his successor and Union minister for railways, has been quick on the uptake.
On Sunday, she will lay the foundation stone for a perishable cargo centre at Singur, a move aimed at paying back local farmers who helped her reduce the Left bastion to a ‘Nano’, hurt Tata Motors and catapult to the centre stage of national politics. The ryots will have as much a 1,500 tonne storage centre at the Singur railway station.
“It will be the first of its kind rail-linked facility in the country. Container Corporation of India through its subsidiary, Fresh and Health Enterprises Ltd, will handle the facility along with others coming up in the future,” said a rail ministry official.
The project comes under ‘Kisan Vision’, envisaged in this year’s rail budget. It entails temperature-controlled cargo centres, apart from special trains from production clusters to consumer centers for perishable products like fruits and vegetables to reduce wastage and also for village handicraft, cottage industry & textile products to ensure access to new markets. The Singur block is one of the largest producers of potato in the country.
Banerjee is also laying the foundation stone for an automobile hub at Shalimar near Kolkata on Saturday, which is part of the Railways’ move to increase automobile haulage. A concept note is being prepared by the ministry to tap long-distance bulk movement of automobile. Of the total traffic carried by the railways, automobile traffic comprises only 2-3%, which it plans to take up to 10-15%.
