Parcel train takes chillies to Bangladesh, creates history

NEW DELHI: In a first, the Indian Railways operated a special parcel train beyond borders to Bangladesh on Friday. The train carried bulk dry chillies from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.
The Guntur Zone of South Central Railway tweaked the conditions to enable farmers to transport small quantities of dry chilly in the goods train.
“It also helped in reducing the transportation cost. While sending the chillies to the neighbouring country by road cost around Rs 7,000 per tonne, the expense for carrying the same by goods trains has come out to be Rs 4,608 per tonne,” a railway ministry spokesperson said.
Farmers and merchants in and around Guntur area used to transport dry chillies by road to Bangladesh in small quantities. During the lockdown period they could not move this by road.