By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: The Ministry of Railways is swiftly meeting the State Governments’ demand for the facility of Covid Care coaches during the current raging second spell of the Covid pandemic with its fleet of 4000 coaches (retrofitted as isolation units) with a capacity of 64000 beds. As per currently available data, these facilities are seeing a steady intake registering a cumulative admission of 81 Covid patients and their subsequent discharge of 22 patients. None of the facilities have registered any casualties.
The updated position of the utility of these coaches positioned at the nine major stations in the States of Delhi, UP, MP and Maharashtra are as follows:
In Delhi, the Railway has catered to the full demand of State Governments’ demand for 75 Covid Care coaches with a capacity of 1200 beds. 50 coaches are positioned at Shakurbasti and 25 coaches at AnandVihar stations. Presently, 5 patients were admitted at Shakurbasti and one patient discharged. In the first Covid wave last year (2020), 857 patients were admitted and discharged at Shakurbasti facility.
In Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), the Railway has deployed 20 Isolation Coaches with a capacity of 292 beds. 3 patients were admitted and are presently utilising the facility.
In Nandrubar (Maharashtra), 24 Isolation Coaches with a capacity of 292 beds have been deployed. This facility has registered 73 admissions till date. Of the 55 patients’ admissions in the current Covid spell, 7 patients have been discharged. 4 new admissions were recorded during the day (26.4.2021). The Unit has 326 beds still available for Covid patients.
In UP, though coaches have not yet been requisitioned by State Govt, 10 coaches each are placed at Faizabad, Bhadohi, Varanasi, Bareli&Nazibabad totalling to a capacity of 800 beds (50 coaches).
Since the first train of empty tankers left for Vizag from Mumbai Region just a few days back, Indian Railways has transported more than 302 MT of Oxygen safely & securely to various states across India. Another 154 MT liquid medical oxygen is on its way. Railways has picked up the challenge of movement of the life-saving Oxygen to the states wanting oxygen.
One Oxygen Express train carrying 4 tankers is expected to reach Delhi from Raigarh (Chhattisgarh) on Tuesday morning .For the residents of Maharashtra, a train carrying 44 MT (in 3 tankers) has reached Kalamboli (near Mumbai) from Hapa (Rajkot, Gujarat) on Monday.
Another Oxygen express is currently on the run from Bokaro (Jharkhand) to Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) carrying 90 MT of LMO (in 5 tankers) and is expected to reach Lucknow by early morning tomorrow.Another empty rake will depart from Lucknow to Bokaro to bring one more set of Oxygen tankers.Railways is responding to all requests received from state governments and is in constant touch with the respective authorities for additional Oxygen train requirements.
