No goods train, 3.4 lakh MT grain left to rot

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Sultanpur Lodhi, November 18

With the revamp of the railway station at Sultanpur Lodhi for the 550th Parkash Utsav, the 50-year-old goods train track of the town has been dispensed with.

Resultantly, as many as 3,40,000 tonnes of grain lies piled up at godowns in the town. The goods train, which was supposed to ferry this stock, was discontinued in May to make room for passenger platform in view of the huge passenger footfall for the 550th Parkash Utsav.

The new station was inaugurated by Union Minster Harsimrat Kaur Badal on November 7. Rice millers from the town had also given a memorandum to her on the issue. They were promised that the goods train would be resumed by September 15, but to no avail. The Railways now say it will take six months for an alternative goods train track to be constructed.

While the Sultanpur Lodhi railway station received an impressive and grand revamp – in which the previous goods platform was expanded to accommodate passenger footfall — no alternative platform or track was created to allow the goods train. A track at Shahkot railways station was provided as a makeshift arrangement, but it cannot be used as the FCI (which organises the transport and public distribution of the foodgrain) needs to pass a tender first which it hasn’t done yet.

As many as 21 rice shells at Sultanpur Lodhi haven’t been able to process a single grain of paddy this season because there is no room to keep the processed rice since all godowns are filled to the brim. Due to work being suspended, millers are incurring a monthly loss of Rs 12-13 lakh.

In all 1,75,000 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy (to be processed into 1,20,000 MT of rice); 97,000 MT of last year’s rice and 68,000 MT of wheat are piled up at godowns in the town. With an average of 16,000 MT of grain being ferried from the town via goods train per month, the stopping of the train has hit the local economy with millers bearing labour, electricity and salary costs for the peak winter season (November to February) when processing takes place. The FCI says the Railways first gave time till September 15 and later extended it to November 15 before finally revealing that the project will take another six months to be cleared.

Prathmesh Jain, a rice miller, said, “The goods train has been running for the past 50 years. It is a ridiculous oversight where lakhs of tonnes of grain have been left to rot with scant regard for livelihood of hundreds. We asked the Railways to provide substitute platforms at Shahkot or Kapurthala, but the FCI hasn’t allowed ferrying from Shahkot yet. The quality of grain will degrade in six months.”

He said, “We had taken up the issue with the FCI, DRM and had also submitted a memorandum to Harsimrat Kaur Badal, but there has been no response.”

Rajesh Aggarwal, DRM, Northern Railways, Ferozepur Division, said, “Alternative arrangement has already been given for goods loading at Shahkot. If the grain is not taken there, it is due to the FCI. The Sultanpur Lodhi point was shut in June and Shakot is an alternative point. A goods track can be made at the same point. But it has to be sanctioned and requires a lot of money.”

Kamal Kishore, DM, FCI, Kapurthala, said, “The FCI has to consider cost-effectiveness before providing alternative place for ferrying of goods. For allowing loading from Shahkot, tender will have to be passed. We will do it this week, but it will take another 12-15 days before the line resumes (from Shahkot).” Arshdeep Singh, General Manager, FCI, said, “We are aware of the matter. A substitute is being arranged, but I can’t commit a time span yet.”