Kulhad ki chai and train ride! Indian Railways’ eco-friendly move to reduce use of plastic at all railway stations

Indian Railways’ eco-friendly move! In a bid to contribute towards an environment-friendly India that is plastic-free, the national transporter to sell tea in environment-friendly ‘Kulhads’ (earthen cups) instead of plastic cups at all railway stations across the country. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was quoted in a PTI report saying that at present, nearly 400 railway stations serve tea in Kulhads and in the future, Indian Railways’ plan is to sell tea only in Kulhads at all the railway stations in India. According to Goyal, eco-friendly Kulhad saves the environment and also, lakhs of people get employment from it. The Railway Minister was addressing an event to mark the newly electrified Dhigawara-Bandikui railway section’s inauguration.

According to the minister, before the Modi government came to power in the year 2014, the railway sector in the state of Rajasthan was ignored as in the last 30 years, electrification had not been taken up after the electrification of the Delhi-Mumbai railway route. Between the years 2014 and 2020, the investment by the national transporter and infrastructure development projects in the state of Rajasthan have increased multiple times as compared to that between the years 2009 and 2014, Goyal said.

The Railway Minister said from 2009-14, as many as 65 underpasses were built while from 2014-September 2020, 378 underpasses have been constructed. Till the year 2014, only four overbridges were constructed in a period of five years whereas as many as 30 such bridges have been built from the year 2014 to September 2020. Goyal further said railway lines’ electrification across the country will save the environment as engines will operate on electricity produced in the country, thereby saving money, fuel as well as time. Besides, the trains’ speed will be increased, he said. Moreover, farmers will be benefitted from this as they will be able to transport their crops to any part of the country in less time, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very concerned about the environment and therefore emphasis is being given on electrification of railway lines, Goyal added.