Railways, orchardists agree on transportation trial
Shimla, June 25
Exploring the possibility of transporting apple through trains to various parts of the country, the Railways and apple growers have agreed for a trial run.
Freight, routes and other issues were discussed at a meeting held here recently between Railway officials, apple growers and commission agents. “We will have another meeting with commission agents in the next few days,” said Amar Singh Thakur, Chief Commercial Inspector, Railway.
“Compared to trucks, our fright will be less. The transportation time will also be cut significantly,” said Thakur.
Even as growers are happy with the interest the Railways is showing in offering its services for transportation, commission agents have some concerns. “While the Railway freight is less compared to trucks, the loading and unloading charges at the railway station are quite high. Unless this is addressed, there will not be much difference in overall freight,” said NS Chaudhary, former president of State Arthiya Sangh.
The transportation wagon will be available from Kalka and Chandigarh, thus the growers will have to transport their produce by road to the railway station. The Railways has assured the growers to provide transport services to Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Madurai.
The growers feel the entry of Railways will break the monopoly of truckers. “If there’s an alternative available, the freight will automatically become more competitive,” said Deepak Singha, an orchardist from Kotgarh. “Besides, the produce will be insured with the Railways,” said Ashutosh Chauhan, vice-president, Progressive Growers Association.
