NFR to Run Parcel Train from Guwahati to Dibrugarh on April 13 to Deliver Essentials

Guwahati, April 9, 2020:

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) will be operating a parcel express train as per fixed time table timings on April 13 in order to ensure transportation of essential goods in small quantity in the wake of Covid-19 to parts of Assam.

The Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR informed that the parcel train will start from Guwahati for Agartala with stoppages at Hojai, Lumding Jn, Diphu, Dimapur, Sarupathar, Furkating Jn, Mariani Jn, Simaluguri Jn & New Tinsukia during its journey. At each of these stoppages, the train will halt for around fifteen minutes for loading and unloading of the essentials.

This train will start from Lumding at 11:45 am, from Dimapur at 01:30 pm, from Mariani at 05-25 pm, and from New Tinsukia at 09-25 pm before reaching Dibrugarh at 10-40 pm.

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Parcel booking for this train will remain open from 10 AM of April 9 to 6 PM of April 10 for all interested parties. Booking of materials can be done for any of en route stoppages.

It may be mentioned here that, Indian Railways has made railway parcel vans available for quick mass transportation across the nation for the needy E-Commerce companies and other customers including state governments.

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Special parcel trains are also being run on the New Delhi-Guwahati, Moga-Changsari, Kalyan-Guwahati and Shalimar- New Guwahati routes.

“Moreover, loading, transportation and unloading of essential commodities like food grains, coal, POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants), sugar, salt and edible oil through freight trains has been going on in full swing in NFR during this nationwide lockdown,” an official press release stated.

It may be mentioned here that the centre has directed all the States to ensure the availability of essentials by invoking provisions of the Essential Commodities (EC) Act 1955.

As part of maintaining smooth supply of essential items in the country, Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla has written to all State Chief Secretaries to take urgent steps to ensure availability of essential goods.

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These measures include fixing of stock limits, capping of prices, enhancing production, inspection of accounts of dealers and other such actions.

It needs mention here that there have been reports of loss of production due to various factors, especially reduction in labour supply. In this situation, there is a possibility of inventory building/hoarding and black marketing, profiteering, and speculative trading, resulting in price rise of essential goods. Therefore, the States have been asked to take urgent steps to ensure availability of these commodities at fair prices for public at large.

Earlier, the MHA, with its orders under the Disaster Management Act, had allowed manufacture/production, transport and other related supply-chain activities in respect of essential goods like foodstuff, medicines and medical equipment.

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