Siliguri: Scrap, including tin, iron, and plastic, are sold at throwaway prices from households. So did the North Eastern Frontier Railway (NEFR). For households, the proceeds of the scrap selling come to a meagre amount, while for the NEFR, the scrap alone fetched a whopping Rs 186 crore.
This was a record-breaking amount the NEFR pocketed. It was surprising to hear, but it was true. The NEFR authorities of Indian Railways created a record of sorts by selling scrap. In the financial year 2022-23, NEFR earned Rs 186.34 crore alone by selling scrap. This is the first time in the history of the NEFR that this whopping sum has been earned by selling scrap only. The Indian Railways undertakes the "Zero Scrap Mission" i.e' waste-free railway section. NEFR has led the initiative.
Sabyasachi Dey, the chief public relations officer, of NEFR, said, "At the end of the year, a huge amount of money is earned, which goes towards the development of the railways, by selling railway waste material. This time, we earned more than Rs 186 crore by selling railway scrap, which has broken the record of the last 15 years."
According to NEFR sources, when Indian Railways started the Zero Scrap Mission, the NEFR officials took the initiative to make every division, workshop free of waste. A target of Rs 185 crore was pegged by the Railway Board.
Also read: Indian Railways registered 25 percent record growth in revenue: Railway Ministry
The railway wing earned Rs 186.34 crore by selling railway waste for the financial year 2022 23 till March 21. This revenue is Rs 30 crore higher than last year's final sales figures. This year the target has again been increased to 48 per cent by the Railway Board. It is also learnt that the NEFR has sold 26,250 metric tonnes of rail scrap and railway tracks. It sold 14,000 metric tonnes of other scrap also. The NEFR authority auctioned four diesel locomotives, 124 old abandoned rooms, 163 wagons. The main reason behind this initiative was to keep railway stations, depots, workshops and other departments waste-free.
