WHY COLD STORAGE MUST BE THE NEXT HOTTEST THING

Railway Expert And Commentator

Lalit Chandra Trivedi

TWO or three years back, during the pandemic, Kisan Rails were launched with good intentions. The launch coincided with suspension of passenger train operations across India because of covid-related restrictions.

This resulted in Kisan Rails being received on passenger platforms which were totally empty.

Even at the time. non-availability of cold storage facilities at rail heads resulted in, on many occasions, rotting of fruits and vegetables, as synchronised arrival of road trucks with the arrival of these Kisan Trains was not always possible.

With the resumption of train services facility of passenger platforms being available for loading/unloading/stacking of perishable goods no longer exists. There is a fear that the initiative of running Kisan Rails which was benefiting farmers across the country might disappear in oblivion.

RITES a PSU under Ministry of Railways had started a subsidiary for movement of refrigerated containers but nothing much is heard of even this service now.

Refrigerated parcel vans which at one time numbered 35+ are also not visible.

The requirement of movement of agricultural produce is felt across the country.

It is felt that that there is a need to have dedicated sidings at Railway terminals with cold storage facilities where the perishable consignment of Kisan Rails can be stored till the evacuation by road trucks for the first/last mile movement from the farms to the retail market can take place.

There was also an idea to use ICF AC coaches nearing their codal life as refrigerated parcel vans just as non AC coaches were converted into NMG coaches for automobile movement.

This ECO system of refrigerated train parcel vans /Rail head cold storage facilities/Refrigerated road vans will be a big booster for the farming community of the country.

For Kisan Rails, I would personally like to have refrigerated container trains with specialised containers for all types vegetables, dairy and poultry products, where the individual villages can be served by no of loose containers as per the individual requirements. These containers can also serve as temporary cold storage units for perishables in transit. An agency for aggregating such containers and transporting them to nearest dedicated railway siding for perishable goods can be engaged. Such railway sidings will need to be located at farming/dairy/poultry/pisciculture zones of the country. Local village level government bodies like panchayats or Tehasil can be made copartners in this ECO system .

Such initiatives are also required to increase no of major commodities in the railway’s transport basket to not only to increase share of rail-based transportation from 28% to 45% as enshrined in National Railway plan but also to help in replacing coal transport in the longer term