The Central Railway has sold scrap worth Rs 391.43 crore during 2020-2021 as part of its “Zero Scrap Mission”, which was launched to ensure that each division, workshop and shed of its area is free from scrap materials. This is the highest sale of scrap of the Central Railway in the past 15 years, officials said. The officials added that the material management branch, which looks after clearing of scrap, had set a sale target of Rs 350 crore for the year, and the target has been surpassed despite the pandemic and lockdown. Transparency is maintained in the entire process of auction, the officials said, adding that the target for 2021-22 is Rs 400 crore. The scrap materials include rails, permanent-way materials, condemned coaches, wagons and locomotives and the like. The Central Railway has also disposed of abandoned structures through e-auction with an earning of Rs 8.65 crore. “The sale of scrap not only helps generate revenue but also keeps the railway premises clean. The Central Railway will work in a mission mode to sell all the identified scrap materials at various locations,” said Anil Kumar Lahoti, general manager, Central Railway. “During the financial year, the material management branch also played a vital role in ensuring availability of oxygen at railway hospitals besides arranging procurement of Covid-19 items, including oxygen generator plant, to ensure proper treatment of patients,” another railway official said.
