North Central Railway converts 130 coaches as Covid care centres

PRAYAGRAJ: Pitching in with the nationwide efforts to arrest the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid1-19), North Central Railway has converted 130 train coaches into ‘Covid care centres’. The coaches will be used for treating mild cases which can be clinically assigned to these centres, as per guidelines issued by the Union ministry of health and family affairs (MoHFW).
NCR’s chief public relations officer Ajeet Kumar Singh said, “These coaches are ready and can be used when the state has exhausted its facilities and needs to augment capacities for isolation of both suspected and confirmed Covid-19 cases. As per the guidelines issued by MoHWF, these centres will be set up at three important stations of the NCR, which are Prayagraj Junction, Kanpur and Jhansi.”
These railway stations are equipped with facilities for watering and charging Covid care rakes, he added.
As per guidelines of MoHFW, state governments would send the requisition to Indian Railways (IR), who in turn will allocate these coaches to states and Union territories. After allocation, the trains will reach the allotted station. Wherever these trains go, facilities like watering, electricity, repairs, catering and security will be provided by IR.
“Apart from this, IR could also provide its doctors and paramedical staff to treat novel coronavirus patients, if the need arises,” said the CPRO.
Apart from these care centres, NCR has already created 6,51 quarantine beds and 100-bed Covid wards in its Central Hospital in Prayagraj and the Divisional Railway Hospital in Jhansi.
In addition, based on written consent from concerned state governments, the first outgoing Shramik special train of NCR was operated on Friday from Aligarh to Purnea Junction, informed the CPRO. This train carried 1,282 students.
By Friday midnight, NCR is expected to run 125 Shramik Special trains. “We would have brought about 20,000 migrants from UP and others who were stranded in various ciites through 17 terminating Shramik Special trains,” Singh added.
NCR Prayagraj division’s public relations officer SK Gupta said that a Shramik Special from Vadodara would be arriving at Prayagraj Junction on May 9. The train which would be bringing not only migrant labours but also students, pilgrims of various districts of UP, would arrive around 4.30am. UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) buses would then ferry them to their respective districts.
Meanwhile, three Shramik Special trains arrived at Kanpur, Fatehpur and Sonbhadra railway stations on Friday. The train at Kanpur arrived from Surat at 3.10pm, bringing 1,187 passengers. In Fatehpur, the train arrived from Surat at 2.20pm and brought 1,215 passengers. In Sonbhadra, the train arrived at the station around 8.45am from Mehsana, carrying 1,015 passengers.